The Quebec government’s fall fiscal update, which announced billions of dollars in new spending, was met with mixed reactions.
The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government announced $2.1 billion in the economic update that includes an unchanged $11 billion deficit from the March budget.
The fiscal update includes $879.6 million in new funding for public transit companies over four years, in addition to the $265 million that was announced in fall 2023.
The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) will get part of the new money, but said it falls short of what it said it needs to make the kinds of investments needed to make to keep the network reliable for users.
“It is important to understand that this announcement relates only to the operation of our network, and not to investment in network infrastructure,” said STM Director General Marie-Claude Léonard.
“Ensuring sufficient funding to maintain our assets and guarantee …