June is Water Month and the Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) d’Argenteuil has used it as the opportunity to officially unveil its regional plan for wetland and water environments, the Plan régional des milieux humides et hydriques (PRMHH).
The creation of the plan began in 2017. Produced in consultation with more than 80 partners in the field, the PRMHH is a document of reflection which aims to integrate the conservation of wetlands and water environments into planning territorial waters of the MRC. The primary objective of the PRMHH is to identify the environments to be conserved, restored and created.
“Wetlands and bodies of water play a vital role and constitute the basis of our biodiversity. With the launch of our regional plan, we are collectively committed to protect these ecosystems in a sustainable way, by focusing on the right balance between preservation and development,” MRC d’Argenteuil Prefect Scott Pearce said.
The PRMHH of the MRC d’Argenteuil draws a portrait of the wet and water environments present on its territory, establishes a diagnosis of problems, proposes conservation choices and puts forward an action plan to achieve the objectives set by the government of Québec towards the principle of no net loss of wetlands. The process included numerous consultation exercises with landowners, farmers, community stakeholders, and other experts.
When changes were made to provincial legislation in 2017, all MRCs in Québec were entrusted with the responsibility of developing and implement a PRMHH on their territory at the watershed scale. The MRC d’Argenteuil PRMHH was approved by the Ministère de l’environnement on April 10, 2024.
“This regional plan for wetlands and water bodies is the result of serious and rigorous which we can collectively be very proud of. Its implementation is based on the commitment and mobilization of the entire Argenteuil community. Together we have the responsibility to protect and restore these precious ecosystems for our communities present and future,” remarked Argenteuil Member of the National Assembly Agnès Grondin.
To commemorate the establishment of the plan, a mural by local artist Sophie Stella Boivin was unveiled.
The work was financed by Abrinord–the Rivière du Nord watershed organization, with financial support from the Government of Québec. The mural will be displayed at the MRC d’Argenteuil administration building on rue Grace in Lachute.
