The mayor of Vaudreuil-Dorion says he's upset the Legault government is insisting on a new location for the long-promised new hospital for the area.
Back in 2016, the previous Liberal government picked a location, saying it would work to rezone the land from agricultural use. But local farmers, and the Montreal Metropolitan Community objected to that idea, insisting that the patch of farmland west of where Highways 40 and 30 meet be protected.
Last July, the Liberals announced plans to expropriate the land — which would have paved the way for construction to begin on the project in 2022.
The CAQ, however, is siding with the farmers and the MMC, and is calling for another site to be chosen — a move which Vaudreuil-Dorion mayor Guy Pilon says could delay the building of the new hospital by several years.
"It is a perfect site because it's right by the 30, the 40, the 20. You could go west to St. Lazare, places like that, with some roads too. It's so perfect for the whole region," Pilon said.
He adds the hospital can't be built near train tracks, because of the risk of spills, and insists the hospital be built near a highway to make it easier for people to get there.