Latest news with #ÉricAlanCaldwell
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
STM strike could disrupt Montreal Metro and bus service for several days
Maintenance workers with Montreal's public transit service are planning to strike this month, leading to service disruptions outside of rush hour on both the bus and Metro lines. Quebec's labour tribunal ruled that workers with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) can go on strike from June 9 at 12 a.m. to June 17 at 11:59 p.m. The union representing the workers, the Syndicat du transport de Montréal-CSN, and the STM agreed to provide essential services only during peak hours and late in the evening on June 9, 10, 11, 16 and 17. There will be extended service periods on June 12 and full service over Canadian Grand Prix weekend from June 13 to June 15, when the city sees a significant increase in traffic. The president of the union says the exception for Grand Prix weekend is due to security reasons and not because they're trying to appease the Formula 1 clientele. "They sell about 100,000 tickets each day for the Grand Prix," said Bruno Jeannotte. "So, considering that we're talking about 100,000 trips between Île Sainte-Hélène and downtown Montreal, if there's an emergency on the island or whatever, we have no choice but to be ready to react." Speaking at an unrelated news conference Tuesday, Mayor Valérie Plante said she was relieved the Grand Prix weekend had been spared of service disruptions, adding that she hopes both parties in the dispute come to a solution quickly so as to not penalize commuters. The union, which represents 2,400 maintenance workers at the STM, has been negotiating with the STM for over a year, asking for better working conditions like better schedules, and to scale back on outsourcing. Jeannotte says negotiations are still underway and could even continue during the strike, adding they're not aiming for an unlimited strike. "We're willing to negotiate certain points but not on the issue of subcontracting or privatizing the STM's public systems," he said. Éric Alan Caldwell, the chair of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), Speaking alongside Plante, STM board chair Éric Alan Caldwell said the agency will hold a news conference Wednesday to address service disruptions during the strike. "We're working to have the best agreement for our workers but also for the financial health of public transit in order to maintain demand and see it grow," he said. "We're dealing with a situation where we have to fit into the money that is available for transit and that's why [there's] negotiations on both parts." On its website, where the transit plan for next week is outlined, the STM says its users should plan accordingly and encourages them to use active modes of transportation to get by or to work from home. Over the weekend, the union representing the STM's bus drivers, Metro operators, station attendants and adapted transit drivers also voted in favour of a strike. The union has been re-negotiating its collective agreement with the STM which expired in January and is making similar demands to the maintenance workers, as well as a salary increase. "This negotiation is part of something bigger, which is really the public transit funding crisis," said Plante. STM service limited to rush hour and late evenings on June 9, 10, 11, 16 and 17: Metro: • 6:30 a.m. to 9:38 a.m. • 2:45 p.m. to 5:48 p.m. • 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Bus: • 6:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. • 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. • 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m. STM service offered on June 12, the eve of Canadian Grand Prix weekend: Metro: • 6:30 a.m. to 10:38 a.m. • 2:45 p.m. to 6:48 p.m. • 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Bus: • 6:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. • 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. • 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
STM won't be adding more elevators to Metro stations, for now, citing lack of funding
The elevators inaugurated at the Atwater Metro station earlier this week will be the last universal accessibility project taken on by Montreal's public transit authority in the near future, it says, due to a lack of funding. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) pointed to Quebec's spring budget in a news release, saying that for the third year in a row, the government had not allocated any new funding for infrastructure maintenance or universal accessibility. According to the STM, maintenance funding is actually set to decrease by $258 million over the next three years. "This is a worrying situation that jeopardizes the reliability and safety of the network," said Éric Alan Caldwell, chairman of the STM board of directors, in the release. "This is all the more worrying given that the Annual Infrastructure Management Plan (PAGI) confirms that the proportion of STM assets in poor condition has jumped from 23 per cent to 39 per cent, whether it be tunnels, stations or our MR-73 trains." Caldwell said that without the necessary funding, the STM can't launch projects to both maintain its infrastructure and build elevators. Elevator installation work that is already underway at the Berri-UQAM Metro station on the Yellow line and Édouard-Monpetit on the Blue line, will continue. The $7-million elevator project at Atwater means it is now the 30th of 68 stations in the Metro network to become universally accessible. WATCH| Transit funding not a top priority in provincial budget: Steven Laperrière, general manager of the disability advocacy group Regroupement des activistes pour l'inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ), said he welcomed the addition in such a "pivotal" station but laments the pause on future projects. He said the onus is often put on people with disabilities or people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices, to justify the need for more accessibility, when in fact, it benefits everyone. "Let's just say you have an accident and you have a broken leg, well you can at least have an elevator to take you [to the] subway station," he said. "It's important ... it helps everyone." Laperrière acknowledges that STM's paratransit system, used as an alternative to riding the subway, is a good one, but he says it still has its limitations. "You have to reserve at least 24 hours in advance so that if you have an emergency, there's nothing you can do about it," Laperrière said. Then you need to know your departure time and your return time which requires a lot of planning, and the service isn't always on time, he added. "What we're asking is for the complete accessibility of the subway system," he said. While the transit agency was aiming to make 41 stations accessible by 2030, that target, it now says, is unlikely to be reached. Despite the setback, Laperrière is still hopeful it can become a reality. RAPLIQ is awaiting a decision on a 2017 class-action lawsuit it initiated against the STM, the City of Montreal, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain and Réseau de transport métropolitain. The organization argued that the lack of wheelchair accessibility on subways and trains is discriminatory. With hearings on the matter over since December 2023, a decision should be forthcoming, says Laperrière. "It's kind of long, but at the end of the day, I guess everybody understands because it's a huge decision," he said. "It's going to be historical, whatever the decision is." CBC News reached out to Quebec's Transport Ministry for comment, but did not hear back prior to publication.
CBC
19-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
STM won't be adding more elevators to Metro stations, for now, citing lack of funding
The elevators inaugurated at the Atwater Metro station earlier this week will be the last universal accessibility project taken on by Montreal's public transit authority in the near future, it says, due to a lack of funding. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) pointed to Quebec's spring budget in a news release, saying that for the third year in a row, the government had not allocated any new funding for infrastructure maintenance or universal accessibility. According to the STM, maintenance funding is actually set to decrease by $258 million over the next three years. "This is a worrying situation that jeopardizes the reliability and safety of the network," said Éric Alan Caldwell, chairman of the STM board of directors, in the release. "This is all the more worrying given that the Annual Infrastructure Management Plan (PAGI) confirms that the proportion of STM assets in poor condition has jumped from 23 per cent to 39 per cent, whether it be tunnels, stations or our MR-73 trains." Caldwell said that without the necessary funding, the STM can't launch projects to both maintain its infrastructure and build elevators. Elevator installation work that is already underway at the Berri-UQAM Metro station on the Yellow line and Édouard-Monpetit on the Blue line, will continue. The $7-million elevator project at Atwater means it is now the 30th of 68 stations in the Metro network to become universally accessible. WATCH | Transit funding not a top priority in provincial budget: Public transit 'losing ground' in Quebec as provincial budget focuses on other priorities 23 days ago Duration 2:08 Steven Laperrière, general manager of the disability advocacy group Regroupement des activistes pour l'inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ), said he welcomed the addition in such a "pivotal" station but laments the pause on future projects. He said the onus is often put on people with disabilities or people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices, to justify the need for more accessibility, when in fact, it benefits everyone. "Let's just say you have an accident and you have a broken leg, well you can at least have an elevator to take you [to the] subway station," he said. "It's important ... it helps everyone." Laperrière acknowledges that STM's paratransit system, used as an alternative to riding the subway, is a good one, but he says it still has its limitations. "You have to reserve at least 24 hours in advance so that if you have an emergency, there's nothing you can do about it," Laperrière said. Then you need to know your departure time and your return time which requires a lot of planning, and the service isn't always on time, he added. "What we're asking is for the complete accessibility of the subway system," he said. While the transit agency was aiming to make 41 stations accessible by 2030, that target, it now says, is unlikely to be reached. Despite the setback, Laperrière is still hopeful it can become a reality. it initiated against the STM, the City of Montreal, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain and Réseau de transport métropolitain. The organization argued that the lack of wheelchair accessibility on subways and trains is discriminatory. With hearings on the matter over since December 2023, a decision should be forthcoming, says Laperrière. "It's kind of long, but at the end of the day, I guess everybody understands because it's a huge decision," he said. "It's going to be historical, whatever the decision is."
