Quebec has had to spend more than $100,000 in recent years to provide bottled water to a handful of residents of a small town in the Outaouais, because the water from their well was contaminated during the extension work. ‘a highway.
At the beginning of December, the Ministry of Transport concluded yet another contract worth $20,250 “for the acquisition of drinking water bottles for properties located in the municipality of La Pêche.”
These bottles are intended for nine residences, whose well was affected by blasting work as part of the extension of Highway 5… in 2012!
It has been almost 13 years since these poor residents have had access to drinking water in their homes.
Water drop syndrome
For six years, it was the contractor responsible for the highway extension work, Couillard Construction, who was responsible for providing them with bottled water.
Since 2018, however, taxpayers have been footing the bill. Every year or so, the ministry signs a new contract, which gradually increases the bill.
In total, we are now at $106,476, and the problem is still not resolved.
The light at the bottom of the well
Following the established formula, the ministry says it “takes the situation very seriously” and assures that “the file is being closely monitored”.
“Several measures have been put in place, and the situation is on the verge of being resolved,” said spokesperson Marie-Josée Audet by telephone.
“The latest sampling showed that the concentrations of pollutants in the water have decreased and are now at acceptable concentrations according to the standards of the National Institute of Public Health,” she added.
By emphasizing the “exceptional” nature of the situation at La Pêche, Ms. Audet also made a point of specifying that the specifications of the Ministry of Transport have been modified, and that the products which caused the contamination of the well are no longer used in during blasting work.
Government spending on bottled water for eight residences in La Pêche
2018: 14 524$
2019: 10 597$
-2020: 16 697$
2021: $22,033 (for 18 months)
2023: $22,375 (for 18 months)
2024: $20,250 (for 30 months)
Total: 106 476$
Source: Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility
Some expenses that have gone under the radar
$467,000 to store materials from the old roof of the Olympic Stadium
Olympic Park will pay $466,980 to store materials from the stadium’s old roof for the next 18 months. The organization’s goal is to find a way to reuse materials from the dismantling of the old structure to reduce the environmental impacts of the roof replacement project.
The Ministry of Finance needs help!
The Ministry of Finance signed an over-the-counter contract worth more than a million dollars ($3 million with options) with the American company Bloomberg to use its AIM service, which makes it possible to “negotiate financial transactions of a more efficient way that is in line with market practices.
$950,000 to manage the Parliament daycare
The National Assembly has discreetly published the costs of human resources management and operations of its daycare. The bill was close to a million dollars, and it was the Maison de la Famille Chutes-Chaudière which obtained the contract.
$522,000 to send mail
Retraite Québec will pay the company Pitney Bowes an impressive amount of $522,150 for the postage of its mail. This is a private contract, since this company “is the only possible contractor due to its ownership of the product”, specifies the notice in the tender system.
An SME receives $2.6 million to purchase equipment
A Thetford Mines company, Série-Act Peinture, received $2.6 million in support from Investissement Québec for the purchase of machines that will allow it to add electrostatic painting to its service offering. The overall project is estimated at $5.5 million.
—With the collaboration of Charles Mathieu and Yves Lévesque
