The day after the unveiling of new mapping which will double the number of residences located in flood zones in the Montreal region, Mayor Valérie Plante is asking Quebec to be flexible in its regulations.
“The message we are sending to the government is that we cannot go wall to wall,” said Mr.me Plante, Tuesday, on the sidelines of a speech to business people in Anjou. “It is very, very important to be able to hear concerns and refine the maps” to then be able to implement mitigation measures, she added.
The update of the mapping unveiled Monday was carried out as part of the project to modernize the regulatory framework applicable to flood zones undertaken by Quebec last June. The Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) estimates that 15,508 buildings are now in flood zones, almost double the number previously.
CMM elected officials intend to ask the provincial government to adopt distinct standards in areas protected by infrastructure such as dikes, as well as to allow the reconstruction of buildings in certain flood-prone areas, provided that measures are taken.
Mme Plante maintains that the new maps were made to “ensure that we are not going to build new buildings in flood zones.” However, she specifies that “we need to practice acupuncture”, that is to say, apply the regulations on a case-by-case basis rather than applying uniform rules in large areas presenting a risk of flooding.
The City ready for October 7
Furthermore, the mayor indicated that the City of Montreal is 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 Middle East.
“It’s a very difficult situation,” admitted Valérie Plante. “Montreal is a city that has always made room for demonstrations and we will never tolerate […] anti-Semitic or Islamophobic gestures,” she warned. “Even anger and helplessness cannot lead to breakage. »
“Obviously, the SPVM [Service de police de la Ville de Montréal] is ready for October 7, which will mark the sad anniversary of the start of the conflict already a year ago,” continued Mr.me Plant. She praised the work of the police department, which “has always acted very proactively in the demonstrations”.
The mayor also spoke about the barbed wire that was installed on certain fences in Ville-Marie, in contravention of a municipal by-law. “It’s never desirable,” she said. Asked if she intended to force the removal of the barbed wire, she indicated that “the fact that it was happening on private property” led to “some particularities” and that the City was “in the process of evaluating all that. »
Plea for a structuring transport network in the east
The mayor spoke with journalists on the sidelines of a speech to the Eastern Montreal Chamber of Commerce. In her speech, she reiterated the importance of a structuring public transport network for the revitalization of the east of the island.
“Economic development as well as the creation of housing and social development are closely linked to a structuring means of transportation, so we are waiting with great impatience for news from the Government of Quebec for the structuring project in the east,” a- she declared at a press briefing.
Mme Plante welcomes the possible arrival of the Mobilité infra Québec agency, an entity that the Legault government wants to create in order to plan and carry out “complex transport projects”. But the agency “should not be an additional administrative step,” she said.
Jean-Denis Charest, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Montreal, also took the opportunity to underline the importance of a structuring transportation project in the eastern part of the metropolis. “It is time to accelerate the development and revitalization of the territory,” he said.
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