MONTREAL -- Quebec's waterways are treated as “open sewers,” according to about 40 organizations who published an open letter Monday calling on Quebec to renovate the province’s many treatment plants.
“Historically, to stimulate the economy, governments have launched major projects,” the groups say. “This time, why not take the opportunity to implement a major clean water project?”
According to a study by the Rivières Foundation from the beginning of June, seven out of 10 municipalities still contaminate rivers and a third of municipal treatment plants exceed their hydraulic treatment capacity.
“Today, in 2020, the majority of sanitation systems are outdated and unsuitable,” the letter reads. It’s addressed to Premier François Legault as well as the Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, and the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest.
The letter sent by the Rivières Foundation is signed by Eau Secours, Nature Québec and Greenpeace Canada, but also organizations managed by the government, including more than 10 watershed organizations from two priority intervention areas and four regional environmental councils.
Successive governments have been content with the “bare minimum” as much with water as they have been with roads and schools, the groups say. It is time for Quebec to tackle the “real issues,” including the discharge of wastewater into waterways.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2020.
