"Whereas the federal government recently made an important decision to modernize the rail network in the Quebec-Toronto corridor; and,
Whereas the federal government is instead aiming for a high-frequency train (TGF) project rather than a high-speed train (TGV) project, which will only slightly reduce the travel time between the major cities located in this corridor and therefore make the project much less attractive to the population; and,
Whereas if Canada wants to significantly reduce its GHG emissions and reach its targets promised to the international community, significant sums will have to be invested in public transit, particularly in rail transportation; and,
Whereas a TGV could make the Montreal-Toronto trip in 2 h 18 min and Montreal-Québec in 1 h 13 min, which would allow real competition with air transport and automobile transport, in terms of efficiency, comfort, and speed; and,
Whereas the population residing in the Quebec-Toronto corridor represents approximately one third of the total population of Canada, which is an ideal population density for the establishment of a TGV system; and,
Whereas the TGV could have enormous leverage effects for the economic and cultural development of the major cities located in this corridor, notably Montreal; and,
Whereas over the next ten years, Quebec and Ontario alone plan to spend $56 billion on their road network, an amount that represents approximately twice the cost of a TGV between Quebec and Toronto; and,
Whereas Canada is the only G7 country that does not yet have a TGV system;
Therefore, the City of Oshawa be the first to endorse and pledge support for The City of Montreal’s motion of February 20th, 2023 (Moved by Craig Sauvé, Conseiller de la Ville du district de Saint-Henri-Est-Petite-Bourgogne-Pointe-Saint-Charles--Griffintown and seconded by Serge Sasseville, Conseiller de la ville du district de Peter-McGill); and,
That a copy of this motion be sent to the Minister of Transport, The Honorable Omar Alghabra; the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, The Honorable Dominic LeBlanc; as well as to members of the House of Commons; The Prime Minster of Canada; The Premiers of Ontario and Quebec and respective legislatures; La Ville de Montreal, The City of Toronto Council, each Municipality and Region on the Toronto Montreal Rail Corridor, VIA Rail, CN Rail, AMO and FCM."