This edition of News from Council will concentrate on a resolution that was adopted by Council in response to the inclusion of the Village of North Hatley, by the Government of Québec, on a list of municipalities who were severely affected by flooding in April and May of this year .

The unfortunate residents of the municipalities on this list suffered major damage to their homes. As a result, reconstruction and repairs to these homes are currently being planned. However, any construction, reconstruction or repairs to buildings that are located within a flood zone must adhere to the provincial government’s special Politique de protection des rives, du littoral et des plaines inondables (Protection Policy for Lakeshores, Riverbanks, Littoral Zones and Floodplains). In many cases, construction is totally prohibited within these zones but in some cases, construction and repairs are permitted if they meet certain conditions described in the provincial government’s protection policy. As a result, the Government of Québec plans to declare a special “zone of intervention” within the territories of the municipalities on this list in order for it to ensure the application of its protection policy and to adequately manage the risks of any future flooding within the context of climate change.

As many of you already know, a special zoning plan for the central part of the village has been in the works for quite some time, so that buildings that are immunized against flooding may be permitted. Since this area is already serviced by the municipality’s infrastructure (roads, water, sewage etc.) and since it is located within the centre of the village, in a developed area, which contains a number of other buildings, it is under special consideration according to the provincial government’s Protection Policy for Lakeshores, Riverbanks, Littoral Zones and Floodplains. The MRC of Memphrémagog has previously adopted into its land use plan, a more detailed cartography of the floodplain, in order to distinguish high velocity flood zones from low velocity flood zones in this area. In addition, the MRC of Memphrémagog has recently adopted into its land use plan, a special Management Plan for this area, which was developed according to the rigorous standards of the Government of Québec’s Protection Policy for Lakeshores, Riverbanks, Littoral Zones and Floodplains. At the municipal level, Council and the administration have also been working hard to put together a special urban plan (Programme Particulier d’Urbanisme) that would permit immunized construction in this area and address the risks of future flooding, within the context of climate change. Over the past few years, this area has therefore already become a special “zone of intervention” and North Hatley and the MRC of Memphrémagog have been working with the various agencies in the provincial government to ensure that the Protection Policy for Lakeshores, Riverbanks, Littoral Zones and Floodplains is adhered to.

In order to avoid unnecessary delay due to this new government procedure, Council has adopted a resolution to ask to be removed from the list of municipalities covered by the provincial government’s decree and has assigned North Hatley’s mayor and its director general to intervene on its behalf. A copy of Council’s resolution will be sent to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, as well as to the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change. Removal from the list is based mainly on the following points :

• Unlike other municipalities on the list, North Hatley was not affected by the events of April and May of 2017. As a result, no damages are being claimed from the provincial government’s disaster aid program and no reconstruction or repairs as a result of damages from these events are planned on its territory.
•  On June 21st 2017, after a colossal amount of work over a two year period, the MRC of Memphrémagog adopted a management plan into its land use plan (Schéma d’aménagement) for this central area of the village. This plan took into account a series of rigorous standards handed down by the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, the Public Security Minister and the Direction of Public Health of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS, in order to adhere to the government’s orientations and policies.
• The Village of North Hatley is ahead of other municipalities in its consideration of recommendations made by recognized authorities, regarding climate change, and through its mandate for a study determining the impact of climate change on water levels within the flood zone on its territory, it was able to establish an additional level of immunity for building and other work in this zone. This study took into account the recommendations of organisations such as The Centre d’expertise hydrique du Québec, the Québec Minister of Transport, the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change and Ouranos. As a result, the municipality was able to include the additional requirement that building immunization in this zone be increased by 32 centimetres over 100 year floodplain levels.
• The Village of North Hatley is set shortly to consult with its citizens on a Programme particulier d’urbanisme for this zone, which will establish a variety of sustainable development criteria for any new construction, including the requirement of LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) with an optimal performance score to be achieved within the area of effective water management.

A project draft of Council’s resolution, as part of a draft of its public meeting minutes, will be available for viewing on the municipality’s web‐site in the coming days. A copy of this draft will also be sent to on‐line subscribers of the municipality’s e‐ newsletter.

This completes the July edition of News from Council. Remember to send any questions and concerns to [email protected] or by mail to The Municipal Council, Village of North Hatley, 3125, ch. Capelton, North Hatley J0B 2C0. You can also continue to check our website and attend monthly Village Council meetings on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 pm at the North Hatley Community Centre : 3127, ch. Capelton.

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