Richard Bergeron forced to resign over Turcot

Richard Bergeron confirms Montreal mayor Grald Tremblay asked him to leave the city's executive committee because he refused to support the province's plan to rebuild the crumbling Turcot interchange.

The leader of Projet Montral said the mayor called him into his office this week to ask him to endorse the project when Quebec's Transport Ministry unveils its proposal in a few days.

Although he hasn't seen the plan in months, Bergeron said he knows enough about it to know he can't support it, so the mayor asked him to step down.

Bergeron, who was responsible for urban development on the executive committee, admits his departure means he will have less influence at city hall.

But at a news conference Friday, he told reporters hecould not back a proposal that didn't favour public transit and will result in too many expropriations.

"We cannot accept today that we destroy housing units to build an highway in Montreal," he said.

Bergeron also said his departure will allow him to be more critical of the mayor's ruling Union Montral party.

"We lose something, but we win something else," he said. "I will speak with a stronger voice as the leader of Projet Montral, than I spoke in the last year."

Mayor Tremblay broke with tradition by naming two members of the opposition to the city's executive last year after the municipal election, in a gesture of conciliation and to rise above "sterile debates."

Darren Becker, a spokesperson at city hall, said "the mayor obviously weighed his options and decided that having solidarity, that was the most important thing. For a project that's going affect hundreds of thousands of people for years to come."

Turcot plan reviewed

Following public hearings before Quebec's environmental assessment board in spring 2009, the province was forced to re-think its original $1.5 billion plan to tear down and rebuild the aging interchange.

The proposal, submitted in 2007, was criticized for not containing any firm commitment to additional public transit.

Concerns were also raised about the increase in vehicle traffic and the expropriation of roughly 160 housing units.

Quebec Transport Minister, Sam Hamad, will be meeting with Bergeron, Tremblay and Vision Montral leader Louise HarelFriday afternoon to discuss details of the new plan to demolish and rebuild the Turcot.

Bergeron has already said he will do everything in his power to fight the proposal.