Ensemble Montréal wants the Canada Water Agency to move to our city

The Official Opposition would like the City of Montreal to submit its candidacy to host the headquarters of the Canada Water Agency, which is expected to be made concrete by the end of the year by the federal government. For the elected officials of Ensemble Montréal, the hosting of this organization would favour the creation of several new jobs in addition to placing the city at the heart of a collaboration and of a governance essential for the sustainable management of water.

“We are bordered by one of the most important rivers in North America, the St. Lawrence. Water is part of our identity in Montreal, it’s in our DNA. Hosting the Canada Water Agency would be complementary to what we are already doing and would reaffirm the important role we must play as a metropolis in this regard,” said Alan DeSousa, Mayor of the Saint-Laurent borough. 

In the context of climate change, the management and improvement of water quality will become increasingly fundamental issues for the City of Montreal. The establishment of such an agency would have the advantage of supporting the city in the challenges it faces, particularly in the management of spring flooding.

While Montreal would benefit greatly from having the Canada Water Agency located on its territory, the latter could benefit equally from choosing Montreal. With the CREDEAU laboratory and the CentrEAU, which is attached to the Cégep de Saint-Laurent, a whole basin of expertise could be made available to the partners. 

The Official Opposition is calling on the City of Montreal to make the necessary submissions to the federal government to have the Canadian Water Agency established on its territory. A motion to this effect will be tabled at the next City Council meeting on May 16.