Evidence of meeting #13 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was transit.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Chairman of the Board, Société de transport de Montréal
The new systems are even more high tech. They use the iPhone and the BlackBerry. You just pass it in front of the screen. The Germans started that.
We will do some testing in Montreal. You just put your iPhone or Google Android in front of the screen. You have a tag and it will be charged to you. We're looking for the close contact, the contact chips that are in the MasterCard and Visa card, but it will cost a little bit more for the system. Instead of $3, we will add a small fee to pay for this new kind of system. It's more for tourists or people who don't often use the network. They have their credit card, and they don't want to
get mixed up.
They can just pass their credit card in front of the screen and they'll be charged. To get an easy form of payment is a good way to increase ridership.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
I think the Toronto operating expense doesn't include the debt servicing and financing costs, so 80% is comparing apples and oranges, but that's neither here nor there.
The investment of $11 billion over 10 years, is that what you are looking for, or do you have the funding?
Chairman of the Board, Société de transport de Montréal
Yes, that's the investment budget over 10 years--
NDP
Chairman of the Board, Société de transport de Montréal
Where are we at?
We have half of that.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
So you need that kind of growth. It needs to grow, because you are looking at 4.2 million people in Montreal. But where is the other 50% of the funding coming from? What part of it is municipal, provincial, or federal?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
If you can answer it in less than two minutes, that would be fine.
Chairman of the Board, Société de transport de Montréal
It would be really hard in less than two minutes.
I will say that the green part, the subway, is not financed at present. The mayor of Montreal has created a committee with the Montreal Chamber of Commerce to find new ways of financing that green part.
For the yellow part, it will be financed half and half--STM and the City of Montreal, the two together, and the other 50% will come from the Quebec government, part of it coming from SOFIL.
For the Métro, it's more 75% and 25%, with 75% coming from the Quebec government and 25% from STM-City of Montreal and the city around Montreal, the Montreal metropolitan area.
On the part of the Canadian government in that, we will answer after today. This year, in 2011, there is $73 million in the overall budget--not the operating budget, but for financing new projects. We could extract from that where exactly the money from the Canadian government goes. We have a list, but not specifically by project.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Right. So in order to continue to grow, because you do have the chart, the federal government contribution.... Have you predicted, using this chart, what you need the federal government to do from 2011 to 2020 in order to assist you? Do you have such a chart? What does it look like? Right now it stops at 2010--
Chairman of the Board, Société de transport de Montréal
We know that in the budget in 2020 there will be a deficit of $327 million between the revenue and the expenses at the end of the 2020 plan, meaning it's not investment. it's an operating budget. There's a deficit of $327 million. It's caused greatly by the increase in the reimbursement of the investment in the maintenance of our equipment and buses and replacing them.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Merv Tweed
I will intervene there and thank you for being here today. I appreciate your comments and look forward to riding that bus or that train in Montreal. Thank you.
As for witnesses, just so you know, the next meeting will be with the department. We've set aside Monday to review what we've heard. On Wednesday we'll have the minister and department. Just to advise you, make sure to check your date and time on the Wednesday with the minister. It starts at four o'clock, not 3:30, and it will run until six o'clock.
The meeting is adjourned. Thank you very much.
