Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève borough Mayor Stéphane Côté says he has reached his breaking point.
During Tuesday’s city council meeting in Montreal, he expressed frustration over the city’s plan to spend $16 million on dikes over eight years, saying that money is a drop in the bucket. He asked if the borough is simply better off separating from Montreal.
“Look, you don’t want us to be in Montreal? It’s fine with me. We’ll keep our tax money here and that’s it,” said Côté. “We need money to deal with the borough, the management of the borough and then there’s the flooding and other climate change effects. I don’t have any money to build dams, dikes and any other protection that we need. So, it was a cry for help.”
Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, along with Pierrefonds-Roxboro, are two boroughs who have been fighting the threat of rising waters every year since 2017. They say the city of Montreal is not doing enough to support them.
“When we look at the natural dikes that we have in my borough alone, that could cost potentially — not to even rebuild, to raise and to reinforce — according to a mandated study by the city of Montreal, could cost anywhere between $5 and $10 million dollars for that one dike. So, what’s the joke?” said Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough Mayor Jim Beis.
In a statement to Global News, a spokesperson for Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said the city prepares for spring flooding 365 days per year.
“In addition to the new $16 million dike program, we have also lowered the alert level that allows us to buy materials in advance and city services also assist boroughs in their requests to the provincial and federal governments.”
But for some, that’s not enough.
Côté says it’s simple. If there’s not more money allotted to help boroughs like his, it will become harder and harder to save them.
“We need to reinvent the city,” said Côté. “This is why I told them maybe we should end the city of Montreal. Maybe there’s another way to manage this city.”