Nearly a third of the investments, or $161.7 million, will be used to protect drinking water sources and reduce sources of pollution.
QUEBEC — The Quebec government is investing $500 million in a national water plan it will use to better protect sources of drinking water for residents and conserve the territory’s marine ecosystems.
“This is a historic investment,” Environment Minister Benoit Charette told The Canadian Press Tuesday after presenting the plan, which was developed over the past two years with stakeholders, including municipalities and the agricultural community.
“Each member set aside their own reality to speak and have common elements. … It was truly a joint effort that was done,” he said.
There will still be a follow-up in the coming years to monitor implementation of the measures and ensure that the funds are invested wisely.
Nearly a third of the investments, or $161.7 million, will be used to protect drinking water sources for the population and reduce sources of pollution.
This includes helping municipalities manage wastewater and improving agro-environmental practices.
More than $52 million is allocated to managing water-related risks, including the floods that have affected several regions of Quebec in recent years. A large portion of these investments will be used to better prevent such disasters.
These investments complement what the government has already announced to help municipalities become more resilient, the minister said.
The plan includes several other measures, including promoting responsible use of the resource and leveraging the economic potential of water.
Quebec is also setting aside $30 million to identify water-related issues in First Nations and Inuit communities.
Quebec has three per cent of the planet’s renewable freshwater reserves, about 40 per cent of which comes from the St. Lawrence basin.
“We are particularly fortunate in Quebec,” Charette said. “But when we have a lot of a resource, we often tend to waste it. We wanted to give water a value and raise awareness of its importance.”