Quote:
Originally Posted by Horus
It is an Ottawa problem. Any benefits derived from the project are Ottawa's. To say that Quebec will be receiving benefit from this proposal is speculative at best. Some Quebec residents/businesses will individually benefit from a tunnel, but that is not a valid reason to pass the bill to the other province. That would be like an airport in Cancun billing the Canadian government for improvements to their terminal as it would benefit Canadian travelers, or the Senators billing arena renovation costs to the Leafs as it is making the seats more comfortable for Leaf fans.
Quebec constructed the A-5 and A-50 to the M-C bridge based on the understanding that it was to be the efficient and de facto truck route between not only Gatineau and Ottawa, but also Western Quebec and Eastern Ontario. Ottawa elected to not provide an adequate link between its expressway and the interprovincial bridge. Ever since, Ottawa has had to live with the consequences.
Ultimately, this tunnel proposal is a solution to a problem that is Ottawa's with the direct beneficiary being Ottawa.
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I agree with this. In the end, trucks are going to go over to Gatineau with or without a tunnel. The main reasons for building a tunnel in the first place would be pedestrian safety and to clear up congestion on King Edward, both of which would benefit Ottawa and only Ottawa.