The city of Montreal is going to spend tens of millions of dollars to help developers decontaminate land in the city.
It will then spend more money to promote the development of new industrial buildings.
The first program is being made possible because of $75 million in funding promised last year by the then-Liberal government, and the CAQ said it will fulfill that promise.
Funds will be spent between now and 2022 on decontamination projects anywhere in Montreal, but the city says the greatest need is in former industrial areas in the east end.
Companies or developers will present their projects to the city and Montreal will grant an amount based on the type of project presented and its environmental-friendliness.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said a portion of the fund will also go toward decontaminating buildings.
"It's huge because I hate to say it but the entire island of Montreal is contaminated except for the existing greenlands of course. So every time we want to attract businesses, big investments, and they want to build something somewhere, and even for housing or anything; schools, parks, everything, we need to go through the decontamination phase," said Plante.
The grants will cover 15 to 70 percent of costs for eligible projects, but there will be a cap: no more than 75 percent of the cost can come from all levels of government.
Full details of the program will be delivered to city council on Feb. 25.
There has been criticism of the decontamination system in the past by environmentalists.
They are concerned about what happens to the contaminated soil and say that if it's disposed of in other parts of the province then it defeats the purpose.
Some people are calling for a public tracking system to know exactly where the soil ends up.
Durable investments
The city of Montreal is also creating a fund to promote the creation of sustainable and durable construction projects.
That fund of $44 million will be spent over the next 11 years, and will offset some or all of the property taxes on the building.
Buildings that use less energy, or meet the Carbon Net Zero standards, will be eligible for more funding.
