Legault government faces pressure over Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital

The Legault government faced pressure over the postponement of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital reconstruction project during a summit on economic development in Montreal’s East End.

“Considering the dilapidated state of Maisonneuve-Rosemont, and the fact that this project has been announced three times by two governments, we are officially asking the Quebec government today to find the necessary solutions to begin work this spring,” pleaded Jean-Denis Charest, President and CEO of the Chambre de commerce de l’Est de Montréal (CCEM), on Monday during the Sommet de l’Est.

The statement was met with applause. The topic was on everyone’s lips during the event, which welcomed 1,000 attendees, including elected officials and members of the region’s socio-economic community.

For Charest, the dilapidated hospital is “a bit of a symbol” of underinvestment in the region over the past 40 years.

Christine Fréchette, Minister responsible for the Metropolis and the Montreal region, assured that the government was trying to move as quickly as possible on this issue, but she declined to comment on whether it would be possible to begin work as early as this spring. “We’re going to turn over every stone to see what can be done,” she said in a press briefing.

The minister was at the summit to announce investments of $8 million in the region.

To journalists who only had questions about the hospital, she emphasized that other issues were moving forward, whether in the economic, cultural, or housing sectors. She particularly referred to the fact that her government had allocated $200 million for land decontamination in the East. “There are also other elements that would be of interest to the public.”

Luc Rabouin, head of economic development in the Plante administration, expressed difficulty understanding why the project hasn’t yet been launched. “It’s certain that it can generate a certain cynicism, because ultimately, there are all the projects we announce, of which we are proud, that contribute to the development of the East. But the most important thing is the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital,” he said in a press scrum.

“If we can’t care for people living in the East, it doesn’t really make sense to plan development,” added Rabouin.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews