Québec solidaire wishes to democratize access to bodies of water

In a context where heat waves are more and more numerous, the MNA indicates that her party wishes to make municipalities aware of the importance of maintaining public accesses along the lakes located on their territory.

We are going to table a bill in the next two weeks to promote access to bodies of water for all Quebecers. We want to make it a reflex for municipalities to have this concern to keep public access to bodies of water because we know that bodies of water are public, but the edges of lakes belong to municipalities and of the crownshe remarks.

The beach on the Pointe-aux-Roches trail, in Latulipe. (archives)

Photo: Radio-Canada / Jean-Michel Cotnoir

While access to bodies of water may be easier in remote regions, Ms. Lessard-Therrien underlines the difficulty that this can represent for certain families established in major centres.

What we are seeing in Quebec is that bodies of water are increasingly privatized. In Abitibi-Témiscamingue, we are fortunate to have relatively easy access to bodies of water, but this is not the case everywhere, especially in southern Quebec, where the banks are relatively privatized.she says.

” When you live in Montreal North, getting to a piece of forest is much more complicated than for wealthier people, who have vehicles, who have the means to get there and who have the money to equip themselves. at outdoor level. »

Improving access to mental health benefits

Émilise Lessard-Therrien argues that equitable access to nature and bodies of water is a tool to reduce social inequalities and improve the physical and mental health of citizens.

It’s increasingly documented, nature, spending time in the woods, it’s good for physical health, it’s good for mental health. We saw the doctors come out at the beginning of last week to put forward nature prescriptions. In 2022, spending time in the woods is as good for your health as healthy eating or physical activityshe says.

Émilise Lessard-Therrien, MP for Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Andrei Audet

In order to ensure that future generations retain access to bodies of water, Ms. Lessard-Therrien asserts that a dialogue must be undertaken with the municipalities in connection with their funding model.

There is a whole dialogue to be had with the municipalities, because the municipalities have every advantage in developing their lakeshores because it is the residences that are worth the most, therefore more municipal taxes and more income. Our municipalities are caught in a totally archaic funding model that will have to be reviewedshe argues.

In the short term, the MNA believes that arrangements can be made to publicize and make more accessible the accesses that already exist in the region.

Récré-eau des Quinze. (archives)

Photo: Guillaume Rivest

When you look at Témiscamingue, the network around Récré-eau des Quinze, you have access to the body of water, but there are improvements that can be made. When we are on public lands, when there are dam constructions, we can create bypasses for people who have non-motorized boats. There really is a site we can work on to facilitate access to bodies of water, if only to list where the boat ramps are, where the public beaches are, where the where people can access water without it being on private landshe lists.