Quebec Environment Ministry rejects le-Bizard's plan to build temporary dikes

A plan from a citizens' group on le-Bizard to build temporary dikes now to help mitigate potential spring flooding in 2020 has been rejected by the Quebec Environment Ministry.

In a letter sent toNormand Marinacci, borough mayor of le-BizardSainte-Genevive, a ministry official said provincial rules don't allow dike-building in the fall and that in any case, if the proposed dike would be up forseveral months, it wouldn't be consideredtemporary.

The officialsays while the environment minister is aware of residents' concerns and theirdesire to be proactive, "putting in dikes in the fall is not permitted under theProtection Policy for Lakeshores, Riverbanks, Littoral Zones and Flood plains."

The letter goes on to suggest thatthe municipalitycome up with apermanent solution, if the sector is at risk of recurrent flooding.

After living through two floods in as many years, le-Bizard resident Ross McLeanjoined thecitizens' committee to help come up with solutions for his community's recurrentflood problem.

"There is no one on this street, and I can assure you, probably no one that lives near a river in any capacity, in this province, or in this country, that isn't constantly thinking about this," said McLean.

In the face of the Environment Ministry's ruling, the borough nowplans to hire an engineering firm to come up with other solutions that the ministry might find acceptable.