Québec Solidaire (QS) announced on Saturday that it will table a bill by the end of the parliamentary session to provide better access to bodies of water.
“With the climate crisis, summers are getting hotter and heat waves more and more intense. Having access to a body of water to cool off is not a luxury, it has become a real public health issue!” said Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue MP Émilise Lessard-Therrien.
According to QS, the lack of access to spaces for outdoor leisure activities has been recognized as an aggravating factor of the pandemic, particularly in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
“Not everyone is equal when it comes to access to natural areas: people living in disadvantaged areas generally have less access to quality and safe parks and natural areas, which has a negative impact on their health. . We have to change that, ”added the one who holds the position of spokesperson for forests, wildlife and parks within her party.
The project is part of the same desire for access as that announced last week, namely to make access to national parks and wildlife reserves completely free. The bodies of water in Quebec are public, but the law does not provide any means of guaranteeing access to the population.