A Park Instead of a Solution for Congested West Island Routes: The West Island of Montreal Chamber of Commerce Disagrees

A Park Instead of a Solution for Congested West Island Routes:
The West Island of Montreal Chamber of Commerce Disagrees

Pointe-Claire, July 16th, 2018 – The West Island of Montreal Chamber of Commerce (WIMCC) is very disappointed, to say the least, upon hearing last week’s joint announcement by Municipal Affairs Minister, Martin Coiteux, and Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, regarding a park project  as part of the planned extension of Highway 440.

The WIMCC has always supported the idea of extending the 440 to Highway 40 which would provide an additional North-South route to help alleviate traffic on its territory. According to Joseph Huza, President & Executive Director of the WIMCC, “The land has been reserved for all these years for a project that will due this announcement fall short of the original objective”. “While we recognize that the Réseau express métropolitain (REM) will facilitate public transportation toward the downtown core, for the WIMCC the value of the REM  will be to help West Island businesses attract labour to the West Island”, he added.

Last week, during an interview with Global News, Mr. Huza expressed that he applauds the environmentally friendly aspect of  the project, but that it would defeat the purpose of creating an accessible link to the Kirkland REM station, not to mention, providing the West Island with a much needed North-South route.

As expressed by the Mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, a borough on the WIMCC’s territory, The Chamber is also critical of never having been consulted on the matter.  “Without a true and interrupted additional north-south link, West Island businesses will continue to suffer from challenges in productivity thus making them less competitive.  We ask that the WIMCC be consulted to ensure that the business community’s needs are taken into consideration as part of any revised proposal.” concluded Joseph Huza.

About the WIMCC
The West Island of Montreal Chamber of Commerce (WIMCC) is the voice of the West Island business community. Since its creation in 1978, its mission is to encourage and promote the development of the business community. For more information on the Chamber and its upcoming events, visit www.wimcc.ca.

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For more information or for an interview:
Mélanie DesRosiers
Events Coordinator
mdesrosiers@ccoim.ca
514-697-4228 x 5502