Open letter to the honourable Mr. Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities

The Champlain Bridge: It’s time for greater transparency

By Paul A. Pelletier, President and CEO, CAA-Quebec

Dear Mr. Minister, it is difficult not to feel torn in the wake of all that we have been reading and hearing lately about the condition of the Champlain Bridge. On the one hand, there is a willingness to trust the authorities and experts who are responsible for overseeing the state of our public infrastructures and ensuring their proper maintenance. After all, their job is to ensure the safety of the people who use this bridge – the busiest in all of Canada. In principle, therefore, one must trust in the abilities of the experts and the mechanisms in place. On the other hand, it is hard not to feel worried, if only slightly, when one hears of studies that are not being made public and that, rumour has it, have cast doubt on the bridge’s structural integrity – its safety, even.

There is also the fact that painful memories of a certain tragedy have led – and with good reason – to a “cracks-in-the-cement syndrome,” as we referred to it at the time of the Concorde Boulevard overpass collapse. Indeed, the findings of the Johnson Commission proved that there was cause for concern long before that.

Yes, there may be an understandable reticence to publicize documents because they are complex, are certainly highly technical in nature, and will probably lead to some alarmist interpretations. But surely some compromise is possible – some way to reconcile the requirements of ensuring good management and keeping the people properly informed? Shouldn’t greater transparency be fostered?

The idea is not to sound the alarm, but to remind our elected officials that the public has a legitimate right to demand that they be better informed in this matter. It is they who pay for this infrastructure, and who use it every day. Until now, the response from elected officials has been “trust us.” But is it enough? Moreover, beyond all the talk about what shape the Champlain Bridge is in today, have concrete solutions been put forward? Has a clear timetable been announced?

Mr. Cannon, the story of this bridge is ongoing, and it must have a happy ending: there are no other options. Perhaps it may even serve as a source of inspiration so that other, similar cases can be resolved – for example, that of the Quebec Bridge, which faces a serious corrosion problem, and some property issues.

Transparency is without any doubt the safest “bridge” to maintaining the public’s trust.

Paul A. Pelletier President and CEO