Lac-Mégantic, Quebec
21 November 2013
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced significant additional support for Lac-Mégantic, which will be used to decontaminate the town’s soil and water following the deadly train derailment that occurred on July 6, 2013. He was joined by Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie, and Colette Roy-Laroche, Mayor of Lac-Mégantic.
“Our Government is proud to be providing substantial additional assistance to Lac-Mégantic to help its residents return to normalcy in the aftermath of the deadly train derailment in July,” said the Prime Minister. “The support announced today will help decontaminate the affected areas, including the soil near the derailment site and the ChaudièreRiver and lake. This is an essential stepping stone towards the town’s reconstruction and recovery.”
The town of Lac-Mégantic and the Government of Québec have both identified decontamination as a priority activity, and our Government has already been providing expert advice on the clean-up of the Chaudière River. The new support announced today will contribute to cleaning up the estimated 31 hectares of affected soil, disposing of contaminated waste, decontaminating Lac-Mégantic and the Chaudière River, helping to restore the integrity of the town’s sewer system, cleaning up buildings and infrastructure, and demolishing contaminated buildings.
“Our Government has provided significant support to the people of Lac-Mégantic following the disaster, as it was a unique set of circumstances and the right thing to do,” added the Prime Minister. “We have taken steps to strengthen the application of the polluter-pays principle so that those responsible for such spills pay the bills, and will continue to work towards improving rail safety and the transportation of dangerous goods across the country.”
The Government of Canada has provided significant support to help repair, rebuild and restore the community of Lac-Mégantic, and remains committed to helping its residents return to normal life.
See more at: http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2013/11/21/pm-announces-support-decontamination-measures-lac-megantic#sthash.CaIYZmeE.dpuf