Quebec moves to cut environmental assessment times in half
Quebec’s environment minister Bernard Drainville announced on Monday that his government would be moving to cut wait times on environmental assessments for industrial projects in the province.
In a press conference, Drainville said that the goal is to complete a review within nine months after receiving an impact study, a task that now takes approximately 18 months according to CBC News. He said that they would accomplish this by switching to a paperless system, holding consultations more quickly with the public and Indigenous communities, as well as handing a larger role to the BAPE, Quebec’s independent environmental analysis bureau. The draft regulation is open for public consultation from Dec. 10 to Jan. 24.
Critics have warned that the changes could come at a cost.
“It would be great to have a project approved twice as fast . . . but what we see is that we are weakening our different legislation and regulations to protect the environment,” Nature Québec executive director Alice-Anne Simard is reported to have said.
Quebec Liberal party boots Rizqy, suspends other MNA
Quebec Liberal Party leader Pablo Rodriguez booted former parliamentary leader Marwah Rizqy from the party last week, and reinstated the chief of staff, Geneviève Hinse, that she had fired, according to CBC News.
Rizqy abruptly fired Hinse, a close associate of Rodriguez, in November, alleging “significant ethical breaches” as well as insubordination. Hinse has called the firing “without grounds” and has filed a lawsuit against Rizqy.
Rodriguez has reinstated Hinse to her former position, and accused Rizqy of putting herself above the team.
Several days later, Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier was excluded from caucus while an investigation was made by the National Assembly’s ethics commissioner into whether she used her constituency office for partisan purposes during the party’s leadership race.
Last month, the Journal de Montréal published text exchanges that allegedly show Rodriguez supporters received “brownies” (slang for $100 bills) for voting for him in the leadership race. A retired judge has been retained to investigate the vote buying allegations.
Almost 37,000 Outaouais residents set to lose family doctor
More than 36,000 Outaouais residents are set to lose their family doctor in the new year, Radio-Canada reported last week. According to the Département territorial de médecine familiale de l’Outaouais, 41 doctors are planning to leave the region between January and August next year in the context of Law 2, Quebec’s recent restructuring of doctor’s pay. The new law, which will tie a portion of doctor’s pay to certain performance metrics, was forced through the National Assembly at the end of October.
The department also said that another 53 doctors “have taken steps” to leave their practice in the region, which could indicate more are considering leaving.
“That’s a lot of people and a lot of patients. It’s clear that Bill 2 isn’t going to improve access; it’s going to significantly worsen access here and in Quebec as well,” said Dr. Marcel Guilbault, the department’s medical director.
