Ville-Marie Enhances Stormwater Infrastructure to Combat Climate Change
The borough of Ville-Marie is prioritizing the improvement of its stormwater management system by investing over $10 million in drainage infrastructure projects in 2025. This substantial investment aims to bolster the borough’s infrastructure resilience in response to the escalating challenges posed by climate change, particularly the increasing frequency of heavy rainfall events.
With plans to enhance the drainage capacity by 1,200 cubic meters upon project completion, Ville-Marie is dedicated to achieving nearly 15% of its target of 8,500 cubic meters. Notably, Larivière Street in Sainte-Marie has been designated as a “sponge” street, where innovative measures such as retention basins and planting boxes will be implemented to capture and retain approximately 900 cubic meters of rainwater.
Scheduled for completion between spring and summer 2026, these initiatives reflect Ville-Marie’s commitment to adopting effective solutions for improving the city’s resilience and mitigating the adverse impacts of heavy rainfall on Montreal residents and infrastructure. Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal and Ville-Marie, emphasized the importance of large-scale drainage systems in enhancing urban resilience.
Additionally, ongoing projects in the La Ligne Verte alley, also located in the Sainte-Marie sector, are set to be finalized next month. These projects involve the integration of drainage systems and green strips to provide a retention capacity of 135 cubic meters, further enhancing the borough’s stormwater management efforts.
In addition to these initiatives, Ville-Marie has implemented measures such as the installation of overflow pipes on key streets and the upcoming rehabilitation of the historic 1891 sewer collector beneath D’Iberville, Larivière, and Fullum streets. The borough has also revised the building code to restrict underground construction in high-risk areas and increased preventive maintenance activities in vulnerable locations.
