Should Montreal apply to host the new head office of the Canadian Water Agency, which should see the light of day by the end of the year? The official opposition believes so, and intends to table a motion at the next municipal council to force elected officials to decide.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
“Water is part of our identity in Montreal, it’s in our DNA. Welcoming the Canadian Water Agency would complement what we are already doing and would reaffirm the important role that we must play as a metropolis at this level,” said the mayor of Saint-Laurent, Alan DeSousa.
Three years ago, in 2019, the Trudeau government committed to creating a Canadian Water Agency (CEA), which would work with the provinces and territories to “find the best ways to ensure the safety, cleanliness and the good management of our water”.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Alan DeSousa
In a discussion paper, federal authorities indicate that Canada “has an abundant supply of fresh water”, but that “local changes in temperature and precipitation can affect surface water levels and underground throughout the year, and sometimes give rise to floods or droughts”.
Ottawa also specifies that the water supply on reserves “remains a source of difficulty” for several First Nations across the country. Dozens of communities across Canada still do not have access to a source of drinking water.
Montreal remains cautious
Ensemble Montréal therefore calls on the Plante administration to “make the necessary representations” to Ottawa to obtain the headquarters of the future ACE. The party will table a motion to discuss the file at the next city council, scheduled for May 16.
“In a context of climate change, the management and improvement of water quality will become increasingly fundamental issues. […] The establishment of such an agency would thus have the advantage of supporting the metropolis in the challenges it must face, particularly in terms of spring flood management, ”insists the party.
According to the elected representatives of the opposition, the CREDEAU laboratory of Polytechnique Montréal and the CentrEAU, already attached to the Cégep de Saint-Laurent, could both benefit from the arrival of the ACE, by developing possible partnerships and by creating jobs.
Joined by The Press Tuesday, the cabinet of the mayoress Valérie Plante remained cautious, refusing for the moment to decide. “We will debate this motion at the next city council next week,” said press secretary Alicia Dufour. “Actions to counter climate change are at the heart of our decisions. We will continue to work to find solutions and protect our water, an invaluable resource,” she nevertheless added.