The Gaspésie region has 273 sites at risk from climate change

Only $ 1.5 million a year is budgeted to adapt to climate change across the province.

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Quebec has found 273 “problem sites” that are at risk from climate change in the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region alone.

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Transport Minister François Bonnardel released the data after a storm caused significant damage on Route 132 in the Gaspésie.

The opposition has denounced that only 1.5 million dollars a year have been budgeted to adapt to climate change in the entire province, and not before 2023.

“We see that we will never get there with such ridiculous amounts,” said Sylvain Gaudreault, MNA of Parti Québécois.

During the question period Wednesday morning, Bonnardel said there is a plan for the 273 sites at risk. An impact study will be carried out over two years to evaluate which infrastructure needs to be rebuilt.

“These are extremely important and major challenges,” he said. “We have to give enough time to do the job right … do an environmental analysis of the 273 sites to be able to go as quickly as possible and secure the entire network, both for the Gaspésie and for the Îles-de la-Madeleine” .

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PQ member Gaspé MNA Méganne Perry Mélançon said the latest storm was the third to seriously damage Route 132 since 2013.

“We can be sure of one thing, there will be other storms,” ​​he said.

He called for better consultation and a committee with local authorities and experts, like the one that already exists in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Route 132 was severely damaged by waves and wind near Marsoui, a village on the north side of the peninsula, cutting off one of the few links between the Gaspé coast and the rest of the province.

Bonnardel said temporary work has been done on castling. We will have to recover a wall that fell into the river. Major repairs will take place in the spring.