(Quebec) Barely 13 of the 100 million dollars announced by the Legault government in 2019 to decontaminate land in eastern Montreal have been spent so far. The Minister responsible for the Metropolis, Pierre Fitzgibbon, “is putting pressure” on the City to speed up the operation with a view to developing this sector.
“Yes, we will have to go faster,” admitted Mr. Fitzgibbon on Wednesday when he was challenged by the deputy of Quebec solidaire, Vincent Marissal (Rosemont), during the study of budgetary appropriations in parliamentary committee.
In 2019, the Legault government had reached an agreement with the Plante administration “for the implementation of a program to rehabilitate contaminated industrial land located east of Pie-IX Boulevard, including those of the City of Montreal- East “.
“A grant of 100 million will be used for decontamination, land redevelopment, revaluation and upgrading for economic development,” it added. “This program, by allowing the rehabilitation of land, will make it possible to act on the enhancement and expansion of the development potential of East Montreal. »
The government is the funder while the City is responsible for “coordinating projects” for decontamination and reclamation.
Four years later, the case has made little progress. “Of the 100 million, there are projects that are done. We have 13 million projects underway. But about 85 million coming. […] We are putting pressure on. The faster we decontaminate, the faster we will develop. […] I think the City has stepped up, started to step up the effort,” he said. Vincent Marissal deplored the lack of progress on the file.
The city intends to request another $100 million soon, but the minister said the first $100 million will have to be allocated and the projects come to fruition first.
Pierre Fitzgibbon recalled that the government will move forward with the Eastern REM, with a route that will be specified soon, and that this project, like others in the East, is creating a “momentum” to develop the sector.
