Quebec election: Legault won’t release study on Quebec City-Lévis third link project
Global News
Legault's CAQ party is championing a $6.5-billion tunnel that would connect the downtowns of Quebec City and Lévis.
Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) Leader François Legault said Saturday he has no plans to release results of a study into the potential impact of a “third link” crossing the St-Lawrence River from Quebec City to its south shore, saying it’s outdated and doesn’t directly involve his party’s promised tunnel.
Questions about a third link impact study have dogged Legault on the campaign trail in recent days after he admitted Friday there was no specific study for the project his party is championing, a $6.5-billion tunnel that would connect the downtowns of Quebec City and Levis.
The study Legault won’t release was conducted by the Ecole nationale d’administration publique, which led research in in 2019-2020 on the effects of major projects such as the third link on residential, commercial and industrial development, as well as on the protection of agricultural land.
Legault defended keeping that analysis under wraps Saturday, noting it doesn’t directly address the proposed tunnel project or account for increased telework patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You would be the first to tell me the study is no good,” Legault told reporters after announcing $538 million to create and expand provincial parks in Rimouski, Que., a riding once considered a Parti Quebecois stronghold but now considered up for grabs.
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Legault said he’s committed to releasing a study on his party’s favoured project when it is ready, sometime in 2023.
Opposition parties have denounced Legault’s lack of transparency.