Cities ‘on the front lines of the impacts,’ says climate minister Pascale Déry during stop in Vimont
Less than 48 hours after a torrential rain storm caused extensive flood damage in several neighborhoods of Montreal, officials from the provincial government and the City of Laval were on hand last Monday morning at a stormwater drain worksite in Vimont to announce a $21.3 million subsidy from Quebec to boost Laval’s ability to deal with a heightened risk of floods.
An overdue modernization
Faced with increasingly frequent extreme rainfall events and the challenges posed by aging municipal infrastructure, the City of Laval says in a press release, the municipality is accelerating the modernization of its water systems to better adapt its territory to new climate realities.
This year alone, according to the city, more than $102 million will be invested in drinking water, sewer and stormwater management infrastructure throughout Laval, including $65 million funded by Quebec through various programs.
Laval is receiving the $21.3 million in financial aid through the Quebec government’s OASIS program to accelerate, over the next three years, the deployment of green drainage infrastructure designed to better manage stormwater and strengthen the Laval territory’s resilience to climate change.
Climate change’s impact
“Climate change has a real impact on our neighborhoods and requires us to act faster and invest more intelligently,” said Mayor Stéphane Boyer. “Thanks to our ongoing efforts to secure funding and rigorous planning of our interventions, we are maximizing every dollar invested and accelerating the modernization of our water infrastructure.
“And thanks to the funding received through the OASIS program, we will take advantage of our projects in the coming years to integrate more sustainable stormwater management solutions directly into our neighborhoods,” he added. “The goal is simple: to better protect our residents today and prepare our city for the realities of tomorrow.”
“Municipalities are on the front lines of the impacts of climate change,” said Pascale Déry, Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change in the Coalition Avenir Québec government.
“Through the OASIS program, our government supports projects that adapt infrastructure to new realities,” she continued.
Reducing sewer overload
“The green spaces that will be deployed in Laval will be able to absorb a significant amount of rainwater, the equivalent of approximately seven Olympic-sized swimming pools, thus reducing sewer overload and the risk of flooding, while making neighborhoods greener and more pleasant for residents,” she said.
This year alone, according to the city, more than 40 kilometres of pipes will be upgraded in Laval, the equivalent of the distance between Laval and Mirabel.
The funding provided through the OASIS program will allow Laval to integrate more green drainage infrastructure into its street reconstruction projects over the next few years. Features, such as vegetated strips, drainage planting pits and bioretention areas, will allow for the capture, filtering and drainage of some rainwater directly into the ground rather than into the sewer system, in addition to reducing urban heat islands.
To optimize public investment, the infrastructure will be strategically placed primarily in areas where underground infrastructure work is already planned. This approach, according to the city, will allow for multiple interventions to be carried out simultaneously, limiting costs and maximizing benefits for residents.
Managing stormwater at source
The city says it is relying on an integrated approach to strengthen the performance of its infrastructure and increase the resilience of its territory. Complementary interventions planned by the city combine increasing the capacity of certain networks, rebuilding aging infrastructure, rehabilitating existing pipes without excavation, and deploying green infrastructure to manage stormwater at its source.
This year alone, work will be carried out on nearly one hundred street sections in Laval, representing more than 40 kilometres of infrastructure. The approach, according to the city, will not only reduce the risks of overflows, backups, and stormwater flooding, but also protect natural environments while ensuring sustainable service for the population.
The city says the projects it has planned for this year will contribute to strengthening the capacity of municipal infrastructure while sustainably improving the Laval region’s resilience to extreme weather events.
Among the major projects currently underway are the ongoing construction of the Cartier retention basin, designed to reduce overflows into the Rivière des Prairies; the modernization of water infrastructure in the Vimont district to reduce the risk of backups and stormwater flooding; and the Mille-Îles Blvd. stabilization project.
Strategy to maintain assets
The city says the modernization of its water infrastructure is part of a strategy to maintain its assets. As part of Laval’s 2026-2028 Three-Year Capital Investment Program, the city is dedicating the majority of its investments to maintaining and modernizing its existing infrastructure. The city has chosen to allocate 75 per cent of its investments to maintaining existing municipal assets and 25 per cent to new projects.
Regarding the water networks, the city says interventions are prioritized based on rigorous technical analyses, taking into account factors such as the condition of the pipes, network capacity requirements, history of breaks and risks associated with extreme weather events.
