Good afternoon.
First of all, my colleague and I would also like to thank the members of the committee for this invitation to appear before you. And, naturally, greetings as well to the vice-chair, who is the member for the riding that is home to the City of Contrecœur, of which I am the mayor.
Erosion has many consequences for our municipalities, including deterioration of our citizens' living environment, compromised public infrastructure and the loss of natural ecosystems essential to our communities' resilience to climate change.
In view of this problem, the municipalities have a responsibility to mobilize in the interest of their citizens. This is simultaneously a public safety, environmental and quality-of-life issue, and, despite the fact that we have limited resources with which to address erosion, the burden of deciding what measures should be taken to solve the problem falls to the municipalities.
In the case of Contrecœur, Varennes and Verchères, that burden represents, in real terms, investments of at least $35 million just to stabilize our shorelines. And the situation is the same all along the St. Lawrence. I'm thinking, for example, of Varennes, which loses one metre of land in Parc de la Commune every year and had to resort to emergency works a few weeks ago to avoid losing a bicycle path.
As regards causes, erosion is above all a natural phenomenon greatly amplified by climate change and an increase in the number of extreme weather events, all of which puts significant pressure on our shorelines. I'm thinking, for example, of freeze-thaw cycles, storms and heavy rains.
In addition, the erosion protection infrastructure that the federal government built from the 1950s to the 1970s is deteriorating at an alarming rate. At this stage, that infrastructure no longer protects the shorelines, a fact that has left the communities along the river increasingly vulnerable.
As for the wake of effects of commercial ships and their impact on erosion, we wish to note that we are not opposed to commercial shipping. On the contrary, our relations with that economic sector are very good. Furthermore, it has acknowledged the problem, which explains why it has already taken action to limit the speed of cargo ships along the St. Lawrence Seaway. We are pleased to be working with this partner, which is making a contribution.
However, I think the government should explore the possibility of regulating the speed of pleasure craft on the river.
That being said, this problem mainly affects the resilience of our shorelines and their ability to adapt to climate change. Consequently, we need to invest in solutions that will help limit the impact of erosion on the communities living along the shorelines rather than attack any specific sector.
In the circumstances, we find it hard to understand why the federal shoreline protection program was terminated in 1997. The situation has deteriorated since then and the municipalities are paying the price.
As agreed in a resolution passed by the City of Contrecœur and unanimously adopted by the members of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, increased federal support for initiatives designed to enhance the resilience of shorelines in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin must therefore become a priority.
Every dollar invested upstream on this issue will help reduce the emergency expenses that will have to be incurred in the event of a disaster.
Lastly, we ask that the federal government cooperate with the provincial governments, communities and stakeholders concerned in studying the phenomenon of eroding shorelines along the St. Lawrence River.
In conclusion, I would repeat that our cities are directly affected by climate change and that, as the government closest to those cities, we are also a major lever for facilitating the adaptation and resilience of our communities. To do so, however, we will need the support of all levels of government.
Thank you.