Quebec must be flexible in its regulations on flood zones, says Plante

Photo: Benoît Vermette Chambre de commerce de l’est de Montréal La mairesse de Montréal, Valérie Plante, en point de presse, mardi

Alex Fontaine

Published at 9:38 p.m. Updated at 11:04 p.m.

• Montreal

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The day after the unveiling of new mapping that will double the number of homes located in flood zones in the Montreal region, Mayor Valérie Plante is asking Quebec to be flexible in its regulations.

“The message we're sending to the government is that we can't do wall-to-wall,” said Ms. Plante on Tuesday, during a speech to business people in Anjou. “It's very, very important to be able to hear concerns and refine the maps” so that mitigation measures can then be implemented, she added.

The updated mapping unveiled Monday was carried out as part of Quebec’s project to modernize the regulatory framework applicable to flood zones, which was undertaken last June. The Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) estimates that 15,508 buildings are now in flood zones, almost double the number before.

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CMM elected officials plan to ask the provincial government to adopt separate standards for areas protected by infrastructure such as dikes, as well as to allow the reconstruction of buildings in certain flood zones, provided that measures are taken.

Plante says authorities drew up the new maps to “ensure that we are not going to build new buildings in flood zones.” She added, however, that “we have to do acupuncture,” that is, apply the regulations on a case-by-case basis rather than impose uniform rules in large areas at risk of flooding.

The City is ready for October 7

Moreover, the mayor indicated that the City of Montreal was preparing for demonstrations that could take place to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7 of last year, which led to a conflagration in the Middle East.

“It’s a very difficult situation,” acknowledged Valérie Plante. “Montreal is a city that has always made room for demonstrations, and we will never tolerate […] anti-Semitic or Islamophobic acts,” she warned. “Even anger and helplessness cannot lead to causing damage.”

“Obviously, the SPVM [Montreal Police Department] is ready for October 7, which will mark the sad anniversary of the start of the conflict a year ago,” continued Ms. Plante. She praised the work of the police department, which “has always acted very proactively during the demonstrations.”

The mayor also spoke about the barbed wire that has been installed on certain fences in Ville-Marie, in violation of a municipal bylaw. “That is never desirable,” she said. Asked about her intention to force the removal of the barbed wire, she indicated that “the fact that it is happening on private property” led to “some particularities” and that the City was “in the process of evaluating all of that.”

Plea for a structuring transport network in the east

The mayor spoke to journalists on the sidelines of a speech given to the East Montreal Chamber of Commerce. In her speech, she reiterated the importance of a structuring public transit network for the revitalization of the east end of the island.

“Economic development, housing creation and social development are closely linked to a structuring means of transportation, so we are eagerly awaiting news from the Quebec government on the Eastern Structuring Project,” she said at a press briefing.

Ms. Plante welcomes the possible arrival of the Mobilité Infra Québec agency, an entity that the Legault government wants to create to plan and carry out “complex transportation projects.” But the agency “must not be an additional administrative step,” she said.

Jean-Denis Charest, the president and CEO of the Chambre de commerce de l’est de Montréal, also took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of a structuring transportation project in the eastern part of the city. “It’s time to accelerate the development and revitalization of the territory,” he said.