On April 6, 2023, Québec Ombudsman Marc-André Dowd sent a letter to the Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, Mr. Benoît Charrette. In it, Mr. Dowd commented on the proposed amendments to certain environmental regulations.
Mr. Dowd commends the addition of a standard that would set a ceiling for the acceptable level of manganese in drinking water in Québec. This positive development for public health is in keeping with a 2020 recommendation by the Québec Ombudsman.
However, Mr. Dowd says he is concerned about the amendments to two draft regulations which would make e-transmission of certain information and documents mandatory. This procedure would simplify steps for a large part of the population. However, some people feel uncomfortable using digital methods or simply have no Internet access. The Québec Ombudsman made two recommendations so that electronic means are not the only option for citizens.
Lastly, Mr. Dowd applauds the efforts to better structure activities in flood zones in Québec. However, he feels that there should be deadlines for updating the floodplain map. The same holds true for drafting a permanent regulation.
