"We're asking the government to set an example, show positive leadership and change its position on the parking lot issue for the future Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital", was the message delivered by Mathieu Miljours, General Director of the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Vaudreuil-Soulanges (CCIVS), during a press briefing at the National Assembly.

While in Quebec City on Tuesday, Mr. Miljours took part in a press conference organized by Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nichols and attended by Vaudreuil-Dorion mayor Guy Pilon.

This media event was in connection with the submission of the petition initiated by the Mères au Front organization and sponsored by the Vaudreuil MP.

The petition, signed by 2,362 people, calls on the Ministry of Health and Social Services to build a multi-storey or underground parking lot rather than a surface lot for the Vaudreuil-Soulanges hospital, as originally planned.

"I would like to reiterate how important it is for the CCIVS to be involved in this type of debate and to represent our members in public policy issues such as this. This involvement takes on its full importance when we feel the frustrations of our members and businesses on this issue," said Mr. Miljours.

Like Mr. Pilon and Ms. Nichols, the General Director of the CCIVS is of the opinion that the government has a duty to set an example, particularly in the matter of parking for the future hospital. 

He also pointed out that last June, the Quebec government adopted its 2023-2028 sustainable development strategy, and that this plan sets out very specific objectives and orientations to guide the government's future decisions.

"In the case of the hospital, they are not respecting their own orientations and objectives. How can they turn to businesses and ask them to comply with environmental standards that are costly and require investments for our companies without necessarily bringing them any added value in the short or medium term," deplores Mr. Miljours.

"The region's business community is mobilized against the decision to build this surface parking lot. The developers have strict rules governing land use planning, wetland protection and the development of agricultural land, so that our territory can develop in a healthy way. As they make considerable efforts to comply with these rules, they expect the Quebec government to set an example by imposing the same standards on itself," he concluded.