Disability advocates denounce cuts into Exo station accessibility

Exo says it must cut $600 million from its capital expenditures budget over 10 years. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

Montreal’s main commuter rail and bus system, Exo, is dropping long-term projects and investments amid a financial crunch – and accessibility advocates are pushing back.

The transit agency promised Quebec it would cut its spending by $600 million over 10 years, reducing its capital expenditures from $2.5 billion to $1.9 billion.

To be able to focus on asset maintenance, Exo must postpone the construction of garages for electric vehicles and slow its investments in rolling stock, among other long-term investments.

It says commuters won’t be affected as its assets will be focused on maintaining services and it won’t touch its exploitation budget.

But, for those who were counting on Exo’s universal access plans, the news comes as a blow.

Exo’s general director, Marc Rousseau, confirmed that the agency also had to slash investments into accessibility, which he says is not funded by the government.

Steven Laperrière, general manager of disability advocacy group RAPLIQ, says it’s often disabled people who get left behind when services are under-funded.

Adapting stations for universal access include adding ramps, elevators, special flooring for those who are blind and need a cane, proper signage for people with hearing impairments, and more.

“It means that they can go where I go without trouble, because I’m not a handicapped I’m not a disabled person,” explains Laperrière. “That means that the physical access is easy. The indications access is easy, whether you’re blind or deaf, or both, and you have access to all the service that is offered to the general public.”

Already disappointed by the postponement of universal access on the St-Jérôme train line, he worries that the cuts into collective transportation across the province will disproportionately affect disabled people.

“By denying them their right to adapted transport or to accessible transport, you’re denying their right to freedom. You’re denying the right maybe to study. You’re denying their right to go to the hospital by a service that is normally offered to everyone. So that’s what you’re doing, and it’s always like that,” he said.

Exo’s Rousseau stresses all public transportation authorities in the Greater Montreal Area are pitching in to make up for a shortfall of over $560 million. He adds that Exo is “committed to accessibility” but that there “no subsidies available to fund those kind of projects today.”

“We need to continue working to align with the grant that we have and we have to adjust our timelines to meet those grants,” he told CTV News. “As soon as money is available, we will bring back these kinds of projects to the table. But as of now, we have no signal that these types of projects will be granted.”

CTV News reached out to the Ministry of Transportation for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Rousseau says the announced cuts are a first response to the financial issues in the Montreal region and more details will be hashed out in January when Exo presents its 2026 budget.

Laperrière, on the other hand, hopes Quebec will rethink the public transit model and reinvest in adapted transit.