Millions of dollars of STM funding withheld by ARTM

STM, ARTM dispute millions in funding A bitter dispute between the STM and the ARTM has arisen over millions of dollars in funding.

Uncovered documents show a bitter dispute over money was brewing between the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) last spring.

According to documents acquired using an access to information request, millions of dollars in funding were withheld from the STM for weeks by the ARTM.

The dispute was made public at Monday night's city council meeting after opposition Ensemble Montréal obtained the documents.

The party says this shows a lack of transparency and cooperation by those in charge of helping a million Montrealers get around every day.

For its part, the ARTM says it withheld funding because the STM was not providing data about its network usage.

Correspondence between the heads of the two agencies reveals a nasty behind-the-scenes spat that was only resolved when officials asked for political intervention.

Monday, the STM told CTV News that everything has been settled.

"These differences are behind us. Collaboration with the ARTM is a priority for us," said Isabelle Tremblay, a corporate advisor for the STM. "All our teams are working for the benefit of public transit customers."