Historic storm: “Worst-case scenario for the municipal sector,” says Union of Quebec municipalities president

According to Martin Damphousse, president of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ), the historic rainfall that hit Quebec on Friday represents a “worst-case scenario for the municipal sector.”

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Due to the storm, the municipalities have faced difficulties in the last few days Debbie. UMQ has been advocating for several years to increase the amounts dedicated to climate change adaptation infrastructure.

“We have been suggesting for years to adapt to climate change. Then we have another example with the tail of a hurricane that hurts. So many millimeters of water in a short time, this is the worst case scenario for the municipal sector,” explained Martin Damfhaus in an interview with LCN.

Recall that in 2022 the UMQ asked the Quebec government to sign a green agreement with municipalities with the goal of granting an amount of $2 billion per year for municipal infrastructure.

“I implore both levels of government to come to an agreement quickly so that we have access to these necessary funds,” stressed the Varennes mayor.

The UMQ president opined that municipalities and the government should be well prepared for future storms.

“All experts agree that storms will repeat themselves in the coming years. So, we need to prepare better and our infrastructure needs to be more resilient, but above all, we urgently need additional resources from Quebec and Ottawa to carry out this work,” said Martin Damphousse.

Watch the full interview of Martin Damfhaus in the video above.