Property owners fear expropriation to make way for light rail project

Seventy land plots in Montreal and Brossard are being placed on reserve to make way for the light rail project proposed by Quebec's pension fund, according to a government decree obtained by Radio-Canada.

The properties belong to 45 owners, and almost 90 per cent of them face expropriation.

Placing land on reserve means the owner can't undertake any work or renovations to the property, aside from minor repairs.

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At the end of April, Quebec's pension fund – Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec – announced it would invest $3 billion in a commuter light rail line that would use a combination of existing and newly built tracks and stations.

The electric, fully automated 67-kilometre rail line is to connect 24 stations stretching from Montreal's South Shore to Trudeau airport in Dorval and beyond, to both the West Island and Laval.

Radio-Canada obtained a copy of a government decree which shows that properties in both Montreal and Brossard are affected.

'My family has always lived here'

Sylvie Gagnon has lived in the house her grandfather built in Griffintown since 2014, when she inherited it from her family.

She says she was shocked after a bailiff came to her door to tell her the property had been placed on reserve.

"Obviously, right away, we cried," she said.

"My mother grew up here. My family has always lived here."

Gagnon said she immediately called the Justice Ministry to find out exactly what was going on.

"[The lawyer] explained that the train might be built right through my property ... I also have a risk of being expropriated," she said.

No expropriations, yet

The Caisse has a four-year period to request that land be placed on reserve with Transports Québec.

Caisse spokesperson Jean-Vincent Lacroix said nothing is yet set in stone.

"The main objective of all our team is to minimize the impact," he said.

"So right now, there's a potential, but we're going to see how the work goes."

Transports Québec says land owners will be given a choice when it comes to expropriation.

"In the case of an expropriation procedure, the owner always has the choice to accept the negotiated offer or refuse it," said a ministry spokeswoman, Sarah Bensadoun.

"In the case of a refusal, the owner can ask the courts to decide. However, that is not the case at this point in time, as no expropriation procedures were initiated. Only land reserves."