The expression has been established since the release of the film The 12 Labors of Asterix. You probably remember this ordeal. The little Gaul and his sidekick must obtain the famous A-38 pass and go around the crazy house several times to achieve this.
This is a bit like what the City of Baie-Saint-Paul is experiencing with authorizations to carry out work to protect its water intake along the Mares River. Infrastructure was seriously threatened during the floods of 1is May 2023.
Mayor Michaël Pilote and Daniel Desmarteaux, director of public works, explain that the Ministry of the Environment has issued the certificate of authorization, but that of Public Security has not yet given its agreement to proceed with the work.
It is this ministry which will pay 75% of the costs of the work.
“The experts do not agree. What Environment has authorized may no longer be valid depending on what Public Safety determines. So we will have to start the process again,” says the engineer.
Initially, Baie-Saint-Paul wanted to carry out the work estimated at $500,000 this winter. The mayor of Baie-Saint-Paul, not known for openly blaming the ministries, still let slip that “the water intake is not in an office”.
Michaël Pilote wants the situation to be resolved before winter. “There is no danger for the drinking water supply. Temporary works were carried out in the days following the floods of May 2023,” he says.
Even if the MSP authorized the work tomorrow morning, it could not be done for a few months. “Currently, it is impossible to intervene in the Mares River. We are in the low water period,” recalls Daniel Desmarteaux.
This period is when the water level is at its lowest. Constraints concerning fish habitat are also added.
