Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis accused Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante’s administration of providing the borough with little information when it comes to future flood prevention on Tuesday.
“We haven’t been receiving the answers that I would have liked. So we’re going to keep plugging away,” Beis said, adding that he is trying to look out for his residents.
The city received a $50-million federal grant to help protect property on the island from future floods. Beis, however, has accused members of the Plante administration of not explicitly saying how that money will be spent, an issue he once raised on the city council floor.
“It’s unclear in terms of where the money is going,” Beis said.
Montreal officials, meanwhile, said there have been plenty of explanations as to how the funds are and will be used, saying some is going to purchasing wetlands and water pumping equipment
“It’s very clear, very defined what the $50 million is for,” said executive committee member Rosannie Filato.
Pierrefonds-Roxboro has been hit hard by Quebec’s spring floods, and in 2017, the community lost 800 homes due to flood-related damages.
Fewer than 100 homes were damaged in the 2019 spring floods, as new dykes and barriers helped protect them.
Filato agrees that a long-term plan is needed, but argues that buying wetlands is a part of that plan.
“The objective of having those wetlands is to make sure the water is absorbed, that our territory is more resilient,” Filato said.
A meeting is scheduled Thursday between Beis and the executive committee to further discuss flood prevention measures.