Residents and business owners in the Town of Kirkland are wondering whether their properties will be expropriated as Montreal embarks on a $6-billion light rail project that is the city’s biggest transit initiative since the Métro.
Emotions ran high as hundreds of residents packed into the Kirkland Sports Complex to learn more about the project on Wednesday.
Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson said the town had to make a decision: “object to the project, knowing full well that it would materialize, or take part in the negotiation process.”
He told the crowd that the town chose to negotiate in order to protect its interests.
The town’s official stance is that it is not looking to remove businesses that are thriving in the community. Homeowners will have to wait to find out how many residences could be affected.
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Still, Kirkland residents remain divided on the project.
Angie Drakopoulos told Global News that she’s in favor of anything that will make the commute downtown easier, especially as her children will start university soon.
Rammie Kamal said his main concern is that the train will be noisy at night.
The light rail transit project is expected to be completed by 2020.
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec will contribute $3 billion, with the rest of the money coming from the provincial and federal governments.
Quebec’s National Assembly is determined to see the project realized quickly. Members tabled a bill earlier this month that would prevent property owners from contesting expropriations.
The next meeting is a public consultation that will take place on June 14.
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