Infrastructure Canada: Strengthening Montreal’s Flood Resilience Through Better Water Management

MONTREAL, Quebec, June 10 -- Infrastructure Canada issued the following news release:

Now more than ever, communities need help adapting to the frequent and intensifying weather events caused by climate change. Reducing the impact of natural disasters such as flooding is critical to keeping Canadian families safe, protecting local businesses and supporting a strong economy.

Today, the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, along with Valerie Plante, Mayor of Montreal, announced funding for two projects to increase the storm water and wastewater management capacity of Montreal's municipal structures.

Floods are becoming a serious problem for the city because of its geographic location and climate change. This is putting extreme pressure on sewers and water retention facilities, especially during spring thaws when large volumes of storm water create a higher risk of ruptures that can lead to contaminated water leaking into the drinking water system.

The first project involves building a retention system in the Griffintown neighbourhood to maximize overflow control and better protect residents from water damage. The second project involves building three retention systems in densely populated neighbourhoods such as in the area of the old Turcot Yards. These facilities will ensure Montreal has enough water storage space and strengthen the capacity of the city's collection sewers.

Once completed, this work will increase the community's flood resilience and better protect nearly 7,000 people directly. It will also reduce the number of residents who go without essential services during floods and save long-term recovery and replacement costs.

The Government of Canada is investing over $54.3 million in these two projects: nearly $21.3 million for the Griffintown project and more than $33 million for the Turcot Yards project. This financial support comes from the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.

Quotes

"Taking concrete steps to adapt to the impacts of climate change is more and more essential to ensuring a safe future for our children and grandchildren. Year after year, the impacts of this reality are getting worse and happening more often across the country. The devastating floods in Quebec over the past few weeks are a stark example: in several neighbourhoods, the flooding exceeded the levels recorded during the 2017 floods. The investment we're announcing today will help protect the St. Lawrence River, ensure uninterrupted access to essential services, and reduce the economic and social impacts of flooding."

The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"The City of Montreal treats more than 99% of its wastewater and we are working tirelessly to treat the remaining 1%. Retention structures meet this need. They make it possible to reduce overflows into waterways during heavy rains but also, and above all, to protect the population from sewer backflows. It would be very difficult for Montreal to finance such infrastructure on its own. The financial support provided by the Government of Canada is essential and much appreciated."

Valerie Plante, Mayor of Montreal

Quick facts

The Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) is a $2-billion, 10-year program to help communities build the infrastructure they need to better withstand natural hazards such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes and droughts.

DMAF is part of the federal government's Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, which is providing more than $180 billion over 12 years for public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and rural and northern communities.

Investing in green infrastructure that helps communities cope with the intensifying effects of climate change is an integral part of Canada's transition to a more resilient, low-carbon economy, which is among the commitments made under the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

Budget 2019, Investing in the Middle Class, is the government's plan to create more good well-paying jobs, put homeownership within reach of more Canadians, help working people get the training they need to succeed, support seniors, and lay the foundation for national pharmacare.

With many municipalities across Canada facing serious infrastructure deficits, Budget 2019 proposes a one-time transfer of $2.2 billion through the federal Gas Tax Fund to address short-term priorities in municipalities and First Nations communities.