{"id":2082,"date":"2023-02-22T07:05:10","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T12:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fondationdegaspebeaubien.org\/?p=2082"},"modified":"2023-02-22T07:05:10","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T12:05:10","slug":"finally-an-increase-in-the-royalties-on-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondationdegaspebeaubien.org\/en\/finally-an-increase-in-the-royalties-on-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Finally, an Increase in the Royalties on Water!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The de Gaspe Beaubien Foundation enthusiastically applauds Prime Minister Francois Legault\u2019s announcement at the COP15. He committed to introducing a bill comprising ways in which to evaluate water use costs for commercial users in Quebec and the implementation of royalties. <\/span>By combining such Ecofiscal measures with the Blue Fund in Qu\u00e9bec with a solid Canadian water Agency, as promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we are on the right track to restore and preserve Quebec and Canada\u2019s water sources.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Quebec Government\u2019s Commitment\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The Quebec government recently revealed that it had only received 3 million dollars for the collection of 811 billion litres of water in 2021. The Prime Minister has deemed this amount to be unacceptable. A more equitable rate will therefore be established in order to avoid abuse. This increase will be paid to the Blue Fund in the form of royalties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Announced last August, the Blue Fund has a budget of 650 billion dollars for the next mandate and is partially funded by the royalties paid by the industries that use our water. It will be used to fund resources in various water preservation projects such as the cleaning of our riverbanks or the recovery of our shoreline strips. Quebec estimates that the Fund should reach 150 million dollars per year by the end of the CAQ\u2019s mandate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Blue Fund is an indispensable and incredibly important initiative. We particularly applaud their royalty plan. We have all seen the impacts of maintaining the status quo and it is now time to act! I have hope that this project will bring positive changes and necessary improvements to the health and protection of our water.\u201d \u2013 Nan-b de Gaspe Beaubien<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cProvided with its royalty plan, the Blue Fund was a vital requirement and constitutes a positive sign from the Quebec government. We believe in the future of Quebec, which seems to be going in the right direction. However, we hope that innovation, new technologies, and entrepreneurship will be at the heart of the Fund\u2019s projects.\u201d \u2013 Dominique Monchamp\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A Long-Awaited and Vital Initiative\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

In August 2022, the Prime Minister declared:\u201d Over the years, we have taken this wealth a little bit too much for granted. We have to take better care of our water in Quebec. When we see the droughts in France, the U.S.A, Mexico, etc. we realize how strategic this water is for our future. For myself and the whole CAQ team, it has become a priority to protect our lakes, rivers, and sources of drinking water. We have to give more love to our lakes and rivers.\u201d We are happy to see actions come from this declaration!<\/span><\/p>\n

The de Gaspe Beaubien Foundation is of the same opinion. Water preservation is an extremely important issue and must be taken into consideration now. We were impatiently waiting to see our elected officials take the future of water seriously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Experts\u2019 Opinion<\/b><\/p>\n

The Environmental Network has been recommending the adoption of Ecofiscal measures for the water industry since June of 2022. It even created a committee of experts made up of municipal representatives as well as municipal, academic, civil society, and private sector infrastructure managers to discuss the regulations in place for the water industry, and the recommendations to follow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This committee created a memoire comprising, among other things, six essential recommendations regarding the royalties, complete transparency, and accountability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their recommendations:<\/span><\/p>\n