Québec had a wet summer this past year. While washing out
many picnics, the steady rains also replenished our ground and
surface water reserves. Although Québec is blessed with
abundant water resources, there is wide consensus on the necessity
to protect such a critical resource. The Québec legislature
has adopted over the past few months new water legislation which
will potentially have an impact on businesses. The following
summarizes the new regulatory scheme introduced by the Water Act
and the Regulation respecting the declaration of water
withdrawals.
A New Water Regulatory Regime
The unanimously adopted Act to affirm the collective nature
of water resources and provide for increased water resources
protection, or Water Act, introduces several mechanisms for
protecting and managing water resources. The Québec National
Assembly adopted the law June 11, 2009, but had not yet announced
the law's effective date at the time of writing. The Act's
highlights include
