PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Montreal, November 25, 2020 – The co-founder and spokesperson of the Fondation Rivières, Roy Dupuis, invites the population to join him in demanding sustainable management of waterways from governments. In a video published on the Fondation Rivières website, the actor associated with river protection recalls the important issues linked to water management in Quebec: municipal and agricultural wastewater, hydroelectric dam projects, the absence of public access and safe swimming areas, the filling of wetlands and construction in flood-prone areas, to name just a few.
“ More than ever, it is time for the Fondation Rivières to sound the alarm, but above all, it is essential to join forces to send a clear message to managers to demand the implementation of sustainable management of training courses. water. To ensure its quality, for our health and that of biodiversity, but also to make it accessible to all. » says Roy Dupuis in his video.
This outing is part of the denunciation of project to increase the storage capacity of Bloom Lake mine tailings which provides for the filling of 8 lakes, the destruction of wetlands and partially treated industrial waste in waterways near Fermont. But also the information recently released by Fondation Rivières regarding the scale of pollution by municipal wastewater which highlights the government's carelessness. Indeed, the organization highlighted a bleak situation regarding the capacity of sanitation systems to treat their wastewater. In fact, these are more than 60,000 spills which were only counted for the year 2019. Added to this assessment are the Quebec municipalities that still do not have treatment plants and which directly discharge their sewers into waterways.
“ The media coverage on these issues is unequivocal: Quebecers cherish Quebec's rivers. Reactions following the unveiling of the interactive map of wastewater spills on September 28 are still coming from everywhere. This is a concern that the population shares with us: this mismanagement is unacceptable and governments must act and end this eternal laxity. Rivers and wetlands are sources of life. We must stop harming them » added the famous actor.
For the Fondation Rivières, this immense collective wealth must be treated with respect, for the benefit of biodiversity, including humans. This is why political actions must be implemented quickly in order to ensure management that is respectful of the environment and sustainable for future generations, as called for in a open letter published on June 16, 2020 by 45 organizations sensitive to the issues of quality and public accessibility to water.
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For informations :
Geneviève Tardy
Communications Manager
514 424-3556
communications@fondationrivieres.org