Years of mismanagement and shoddy streetcar construction have finally caught up with Bombardier Inc. The Montreal company has sold its transportation division to Paris-based Alstom SA. The deal, first reported in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, could yield $7 billion US for the Quebec-based firm. Bombardier’s inept execution of contracts with Metrolinx and the TTC have been a scandal. Reports also say Quebec’s pension fund manager, the Caisse de dépôt et placement, will sell its 32.5 percent stake in Bombardier’s train unit to Alstom and buy a minority stake in the combined train company.
