LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — The Canadian government has set new dates for public consultation on hydrology and mitigation in its deliberate process of building a rail bypass around Lac-Mégantic.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Wednesday that online consultation will be held Oct. 24 to Nov. 25, along with three public information sessions:
— An in-person, invitation-only open house Nov. 7 for those directly affected by the project;
— An open house including two town halls with a presentation and question period, open to all, on Nov. 8;
— An online session open to all on Nov. 9.
More information on the consultation and information sessions is available at this page of the Transport Canada website.
The consultation period and information sessions had originally been scheduled in September, having already been pushed back after the period to negotiate land purchases were extended twice [see “Deadline for Lac-Mégantic land negotiations pushed back again,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 9, 2022]. With the first of those extensions, the government conceded the project to relocation Canadian Pacific’s main line would not meet its original 2023 target for completion.
“We know how important and expected this consultation is for the community,” Alghabra said in a press release. :For us, it is equally important to do things correctly and listen to everyone’s needs. That’s why we have collaborated with our partners in recent weeks to improve the information presented to the public during this consultation. Citizens will now be invited to give us their feedback.”
