Quebec Solidaire leader pitching himself as champion of municipalities

Quebec Solidaire Leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois chats with Quebec Premier Francois Legault at his desk in the legislature in Quebec City, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Quebec Solidaire is hoping to win the hearts of elected municipal officials at the Union of Municipalities meeting, which is being held in Gatineau this week.

The parliamentary leader of the left-wing party, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, intends to present a trio of commitments in the areas of climate change adaptation, housing and mining exploration that will certainly find an attentive ear in the municipal milieu.

According to Nadeau-Dubois, municipalities need allies in Quebec City where "we currently have, with François Legault, a government that turns a deaf ear to the demands of municipalities. The CAQ does not listen to the local governments that are the municipalities and when the government does not listen to the municipalities, it is the citizens who end up paying the price."

"We won't give up," he said.

In the case of climate change adaptation, for which the municipal sector is asking for $2 billion per year over five years, the Solidaire co-spokesperson promises to relentlessly pursue the CAQ government.

"We will not give up trying to convince this government to invest more in adaptation to climate change," he said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

He dismissed out of hand Legault's argument who, again this week in the wake of the devastating floods that hit Quebec, invoked the taxpayers' ability to pay.

"It's a short-term vision because every dollar invested in adaptation to climate change today represents savings in the future. Every dollar we invest today will be recouped two, three, four, five times in the future," said Nadeau-Dubois.

He argued that the colossal sums of money involved in recovering from an environmental disaster justify massive investments to prevent them.

"It's the only responsible decision for our public finances because otherwise, saving now means sending an increasingly high bill to our children," he added.

To the premier, who questioned on Tuesday the source of the $2 billion figure claimed by the municipalities, Nadeau-Dubois said that "the figure of $2 billion, the municipalities have not taken it from a hat. It comes from a study by Ouranos, which is the scientific reference in Quebec on these issues."

TIGHTENING SCREWS ON AIRBNB

The second commitment that the Solidaire leader intends to present to municipal elected officials is on the housing file.

"The housing crisis is hurting in all regions right now and the explosion of illegal Airbnb is hurting in all regions," said Nadeau-Dubois.

For him, the proliferation of private tourist accommodation "is really a cancer that is eating away at the rental stock in several neighbourhoods in Montreal, and several neighbourhoods throughout Quebec."

He, therefore, intends to ensure that the law to regulate Airbnb promised by the CAQ government has teeth, even if it means tabling an amendment himself if the initial bill is not strict enough.

"We need this law to force Airbnb to check whether ads are compliant, are legal, and to remove illegal ads from their website," he said.

Recalling the tragic fire on March 16 in a building used illegally for this type of accommodation in Old Montreal, he added: "We've had the warning signs, enough is enough. Airbnb must be brought to heel."

COUNTERBALANCING MINING SPECULATORS

Finally, the third service of his municipal seduction trio consists of a commitment to give more power to municipalities to counteract mining speculators.

"We are currently witnessing a historic mining boom in Quebec. We learned (Tuesday) that in the last two years, the number of mining claims has increased by 65 per cent in Quebec. There are 16 million hectares that are 'claimed'. This represents 10 per cent of the territory of Quebec. In some regions, in recent years, there have been increases of 200 to 400 per cent in the number of mining claims on their territory," he said.

He is particularly interested in the repeal of section 246 of the Act respecting land use planning and development, a section that literally ties the hands of municipalities, removing their ability to intervene to protect their territory when a mining claim is filed. In its current wording, this section of the law gives mining speculators carte blanche.

This is what has allowed claims to be filed in the Chics-Chocs wildlife reserve, in the Mont-Tremblant park sector, and around Mont Mégantic and Mont Rigaud, among others.

The race for minerals used in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles has resulted in "graphite mines being planned next to villages, inhabited areas, natural environments and protected areas," deployed Nadeau-Dubois.

"The municipalities do not have the tools to resist these speculators. The municipalities are asking for help. The CAQ government does not listen to them."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 4, 2023.