OTTAWA — The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) are both commenting on the federal government’s recent decision to go forward with a high-speed rail project between Quebec City and Toronto.
“This project’s potential to support worker mobility and foster regional connectivity comes at a time when cross-provincial co-operation is paramount to a strong tomorrow,” writes the CCA in a statement. “Canada’s construction industry has long stated that long-term infrastructure planning into projects like these are strategic investments into our country’s future that will have a lasting impact on our economy and quality of life in Canada.”
The planned rail network will be 100 per cent electric, span approximately 1,000 kilometres, and reach speeds of up to 300 kilometres an hour. There will be stations in Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City.
Cadence, a consortium of companies, has been selected to co-design, build, finance, operate and maintain the rail megaproject. Cadence includes CDPQ Infra as well as AtkinsRéalis, Keolis, SYSTRA, Air Canada and SNCF Voyageurs.
The CBTU echoed the CCA’s sentiments but also issued a request to the federal government.
“This investment will produce more than 50,000 jobs, including thousands of skilled trades jobs in the construction sector during the life of the project, contributing substantially to Canada’s economic growth,” said executive director Sean Strickland. “While we welcome this announcement and applaud the government for this forward-thinking initiative, we also call on the government to make sure this large public investment maximizes job creation and supports workers.”
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