Yes, regarding new home construction, the mayors who appeared before the committee, and even the ones in my riding that I am in touch with, have all said that they often wish they could build new housing and launch new developments, but cannot do so because their water infrastructure is at maximum capacity.
In my view, the best way to help municipalities facilitate home construction is not by adding conditions, but rather by improving funding for water infrastructure. Right now, it appears that Quebec has a deficit of $38.2 million for the maintenance of water infrastructure. That is a huge gap that prevents us from building the housing we need. Furthermore, the fund I was talking about, the former gas tax, does provide funding for water infrastructure, among other things.
Can that funding be released as quickly as possible to help our cities and get housing built?