A group of individuals and environmentalists have banded together to try to derail the Caisse de Dépôt’s proposed light rail electrical train project through greater Montreal — at least temporarily.
The plaintiffs are seeking a court injunction to delay construction of the project.
They argue the proposal pitched by the Caisse de Dépôt and backed by the government hasn’t been sufficiently researched.
The plaintiffs claim public consultations held in 2016 were done when a lot of information wasn’t available and they claim the exact track route of the proposed train was unknown.
They add environmental impact and climate change studies weren’t done.
And they argue the total costs remain hidden.
The plaintiffs say the lack of information is in violation of Quebec law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“The public did not get a chance to properly study it. (The public) did not get a chance to properly express their views on it,” John Symon, one of the listed plaintiffs told Global News inside the Montreal Court House.
The lawyer representing the plaintiffs argue new hearings need to be held before any construction can begin.
“Everything that was done was done on promises or half-truths or information that’s not available,” lawyer Ricardo Hrtschan told Global News.
But lawyers representing the Caisse de Dépôt and the government argue the plaintiff’s claims are unfounded in law. And they need to be rejected.
“There is no factual element to support their allegations,” Nathalie Fiset, the Crown lawyer told Global News.
The arguments before a Quebec Superior Court judge are expected to last four days.