Renovation of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel: hoteliers as reinforcements

Five days before the partial shutdown of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel, nervous workers return to an emergency base at hotels near the factory.

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“We’re offering a 15% discount to workers in Boucherville, near the subway,” said Daniel Girard, sales manager at Imperia Hôtel & Suites Boucherville, which is feeling the tide.

Last Tuesday, Newspaper He met her when he finished printing an advertisement aimed at attracting workers stuck in the traffic jams of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine subway repair project.

“When people are going to bump their noses into traffic, it’s going to fall,” he warned.

While working from home may be the solution for some, factory workers must always be on the floor to perform their tasks. They will pay the highest price.

At South Shore’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, minus one at midnight, it’s clear that companies aren’t ruling out any scenario.

Secondary housing

“They’re considering a hotel or secondary lodging facility for their employees to be closer to their workplace,” says Corinne Demers, its director of communications.

At Crops in Boucherville, workers who have to cross the bridge-tunnel every day fear the impact the closure will have on their lives.

“It hurts. We have no choice,” said Mohammad Hosni, a forklift driver at Krabs in Boucherville, who was caught yesterday.

“I have family in Montreal. To overcome,” he sighs.

At Olimele, we have access to the Highway 30 bridge for trucks, which increases transportation costs.

“We bought transponders to go to Ontario,” explained his spokesman, Richard Vigneault.

For Samuel Collas, director of membership relations and production programs at Manufacturers and Exporters of Quebec (MEQ), the pressure is mounting.

Anger and anxiety

“Right now, we hear a lot of anger and grumbling from employers and employees,” he observes.

“We hear employers recommending that employees move to branches closer to home. But what we often hear is frustration and anger because of the lack of predictability,” he says.

At the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, we care.

“Companies near the construction site are gearing up. There are a lot of concerns,” concludes its vice-president Quebec, François Vincent.

– In collaboration with Valerie Lesage

♦ Last Saturday, Newspaper The group told the story of Morneau, which is making major preparations to mitigate the impacts of the tunnel closure.