Transit, natural resources key to candidates

With the environment at the forefront of this year's federal elections issues, the Conservative Government's Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Lawrence Cannon, appeared at a senior's residence in Île Bizard/Ste. Geneviève Monday afternoon, highlighting what he viewed as improvements to local public transit since the Conservative government came to power in 2006.

"(The amount given to provinces for transit) was roughly $200 million per year," Cannon told The Chronicle. Since 2006, it has come closer to $1 billion, he said.

However, he maintained he did not see a federal government's responsibility going anywhere beyond providing the needed cash flow for transit projects, as coordination between various transit authorities and municipalities fell under the purview of provincial governments.

Improving local transit was named a key environmental issue by several different party candidates interviewed by The Chronicle, including Pierrefonds-Dollard Conservative candidate Pierre-Olivier Brunelle.

"To bring everybody to the table is important," Brunelle said. "When I used to go to John Abbott, it wasn't easy getting around by public transport," he recalled. "That's a story that's been around for I don't know how many years," he added.

The NDP's candidate for neighbouring Lac St. Louis, Dan Quinn, also named public transit as an important key environmental concern.

He said West Islanders would benefit from significant federal government investments into public transportation, since many, for example, live in the suburbs but work or study far away in downtown Montreal.

"We're nowhere close to the metro," Quinn said, adding he has already met with citizens during the current election campaign who have told him of their being fed up waiting 35 to 40 minutes for buses supposed to arrive every half hour.

Transit was named as an issue by Pierrefonds-Dollard's Green Party candidate Ryan Young. "The federal government have not really kept up a good amount of money to cities in general," said Young, and public transit seems to suffer as a result as well.

When reminded of the STM's recent improvements to the bus network on the West Island, such as longer hours on evenings and weekends and a long-term plan to cut down on waiting times between buses and trains, Quinn commended them, but said more could be done with better funding.

However, Quinn remained sceptical of Conservative claims the decade-long shuttle train project between Pierre-Elliot Trudeau International Airport, downtown Montreal and the remainder of the West Island had moved forward since January 2006.

"I haven't seen any progress being made," he said.

Andrea Paine, the Conservative Party candidate in Lac St. Louis, focused on recycling and composting issues in her riding. "On a general basis, people are much more environmentally conscious," she said, adding recycling numbers in the area had gone way up over the last few years.

However, she acknowledged individual municipal composting programs are not necessarily up to snuff in many municipalities, a situation not unique to the West Island. Whereas the provincial government has set a goal for municipalities to recycle 60 per cent of all organic materials by the end of 2008, local mayors have told The Chronicle it is unlikely to occur this year.

"I've had a long history of working with provincial governments," said Paine, referring to her past experience as a policy advisor to Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Monte Solberg, explaining this would give her an edge in working on environmental programs without necessarily stepping on provincial jurisdiction. She added she is ready to meet with local mayors at any given time.

Young, who ran in the last provincial election for the provincial Green Party, acknowledged the contentious jurisdictional battles that have shaped Canadian politics for a long time. "I think you can count on Quebecer's support to protect the environment," he said, and accused the Conservative government of conducting poor federal

to-provincial diplomacy.

Another issue raised by local candidates is the preservation of local green spaces and natural resources. Marlene Jennings, the Liberal incumbent for NDG-Lachine, which includes Dorval, said she was well aware of the struggle local environmental groups deal with in trying to protect Golf Dorval from development by Pierre-Elliot Trudeau International Airport.

"(The airport) is only obliged to follow federal environmental law," Jennings said, in reference to the municipally-run golf club not being classified as green space by Environment Canada. "That's one of the things that should change," she said, adding she is not advocating for local municipalities to dictate to federal legislatures. However, there have to be better cooperation and meaningful consultations between federal and municipal authorities, she said.

Municipally, Golf Dorval is part of Bertrand Stream, one of Montreal's 10 recognized ecoterritories.

Preserving water as a resource came up as a priority on several candidates' environmental checklists as well. Last spring, a private member's motion introduced by Lac St. Louis Liberal incumbent Francis Scarpaleggia called for measures against the bulk exportation of freshwater, as well as the creation of a federal junior ministry for water.

Both Scarpaleggia's NDP and Conservative rivals agreed with the protection of freshwater component of his bill. "I will commend Francis Scarpaleggia for that," Quinn said, adding however that he was troubled by the Liberal Party's lack of opposition to the Security and Prosperity Partnership. The NDP has denounced the partnership, which has so far unfolded as a series of closed-door meetings between the governments of Canada, Mexico and the U.S.A. and heads of major private corporations, for its lack of transparency.

"We shouldn't be so quick to sell our portion of the water," Paine said. "I do agree totally that we need to preserve our natural resources." However, she was not so enthusiastic of a junior water ministry. "You can create a cabinet post for almost anything your heart desires," she said, adding the money to fund yet another ministry would be coming from taxpayers' pockets.

Quinn was receptive to the idea, however. "I would support this," he said.