The Fréchette government announced it will invest $1 billion over 10 years to help municipalities repair and modernize their water infrastructure.
Finance Minister Eric Girard and Municipal Affairs Minister Samuel Poulin made the announcement Tuesday at the “États généraux sur le coût et le financement des infrastructures municipales” consultation.
In a press scrum in Quebec City, Girard acknowledged that this will not “solve all the problems,” but he considered it a “significant step” to help cities.
The minister noted that the Quebec government welcomed the $10 billion recently granted by Ottawa, but stressed that this “does not meet all the needs.”
“Will more funding be required? Yes,” he maintained.
The government did not specify how funding would be allocated to municipalities for their water infrastructure.
In a press release, Quebec emphasized that it has invested steadily in public infrastructure for the past six years and that it will modify its strategy to ensure that the funds actually have an impact on assets.
The government aims to obtain more reliable data on the condition of infrastructure, will set targets for the asset maintenance deficit, and will ensure that the most urgent projects are prioritized.
“Today, we are going further by adopting an approach that will allow us to better measure the condition of our infrastructure, strengthen our management mechanisms, and further prioritize the maintenance of existing assets,” stated Minister Girard in a press release.
“Prioritizing the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure will require making difficult choices, but we will work in the best interests of Quebecers while respecting our objective of returning to a balanced budget by 2029-2030 at the latest.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
