A report on environmental initiatives was presented to Quebec’s Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette last week and is said to be available to the public as of Jan 25. The BAPE Report (Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement) will include 112 recommendations for environmental initiatives in the province.

Since 1978, the BAPE has collaborated with . . .

local and international organizations and governments to share its expertise and learn from other experts in the field of environmental assessment.

The BAPE is an impartial government agency reporting to the Minister of the Environment and the fight against climate change. Their role is based on informing and consulting the general population and investigating in order to advise the authorities to accomplish its mission which is “to inform government decision-making by providing the Minister responsible for the Environment with analyzes and opinions that take into account the 16 principles of the Sustainable Development Act.”

Although this is a province-wide report, the MRC Pontiac is hoping to benefit from their recommendation and apply it to this region. “We are hoping that in their resolution, or their recommendations that we’re going to see a more progressive attitude towards waste management in Quebec,” said Jane Toller MRC Pontiac Warden.

In a press release, it was highlighted that a waste management solution for the Outaouais will be selected by the Conférence des Préfets de l’Outaouais (CPO) in 2022-2023. This project would offer a unique opportunity for the Pontiac to save money, create 50 local jobs, and be an environmental leader in Quebec. Currently, the Pontiac is trucking all of its garbage to Lachute Landfill and it is costing the region over a million dollars a year, explained Toller.

As part of her mandate, Toller’s focus is tackling waste management issues such as better management of construction waste, more composting and ensuring people think about their waste constructively and reuse or donate items rather than throwing them out, Toller told The Equity.

Because the MRC Pontiac continues to be extremely interested in hosting energy from waste facilities on their territory the committee will be meeting in the upcoming week to discuss the progress of the BAPE project.

When asked what she hopes this new environmental project will bring, Toller said, “I’m most looking forward to progressive green ideas that will help us in the Pontiac to more economically reuse our waste. I think it’s very important to think of garbage as a resource, something that can be used to make something else not just something to bury in the ground.”

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