Legault promises to help municipalities with access to drinking water

Quebec has promised to help municipalities that are struggling with access to drinking water.

Premier François Legault said Thursday morning that he intends to"soon come up with a program where a large part will be paid by the Quebec government because we know very well that the cost associated with this cannot be assumed by the municipalities."

Legault was in Saint-Michel in the Montérégie region to introduce his candidate in Huntingdon, Carole Mallette, who herself alluded to the problems of access to drinking water in her region.

The premier had already been confronted with this issue on Tuesday, when he was in Venise-en-Quebec, promising to financially support the municipality of Clarenceville, which is also facing a problem of access to drinking water and which estimates that $22 million is needed to solve the problem.

EVERYONE MUST HAVE CLEAN WATER

"In 2022, everyone must have drinking water in Quebec, so it is clear that this problem must be solved," he said at the time, adding that he understood that a municipality could not absorb a bill of this magnitude.

On Thursday, however, he went much further, pointing out that this is a problem that is "getting bigger and bigger. We calculate that there are 600 places in Quebec where there is a problem."

He said that discussions are underway with the Ministry of Agriculture and that they should be concluded soon.

His words left no doubt as to what will happen next: "We are coming up with a program and yes, there is a challenge on that side and yes, we will solve it."

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 7, 2022