The federal government is moving to acquire land so that it can build a rail bypass in Lac-Megantic, Que., nearly 10 years after a downtown freight train derailment killed 47 people.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced that he made the difficult decision to expropriate land after the failure of negotiations to purchase property from local landowners.
The minister said a notice of intent to expropriate has been published in Quebec’s land registry, and landowners have been contacted by email and telephone to inform them of the notice.
Landowners can also expect to receive official notice by registered mail.
Alghabra said he understands that some property owners are angry about the decision, but the core objective is to stop trains from travelling through Lac-Megantic’s downtown, and prevent another disaster….