C-6.2 - Act to affirm the collective nature of water resources and to promote better governance of water and associated environments

Section 14 Disposition versions

2022-05-12

14. The Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks may

(1)  establish major directions for concerted, integrated water resource management;

(2)  (subparagraph repealed);

(3)  for each of the hydrologic units referred to in section 13.2 that the Minister specifies, provide, on the conditions determined by the Minister and subject to subparagraph 4, either

(a)  for the creation of a watershed body whose mandate is to coordinate concerted, integrated water resource management of each watershed in its integrated management zone. To do so, it

i.  coordinates a consultation process, ensuring balanced representation of users and stakeholders from the sectors concerned;

ii.  coordinates the development and subsequent updating of a water master plan;

iii.  mobilizes users of the water and the territory to take action to foster the consistency and implementation of the water master plan, in particular by promoting it; and

iv.  coordinates the water master plan follow-up and assessment processes; or

(b)  for the designation, in exceptional circumstances, of a body that is representative of the users and stakeholders in various sectors and responsible for carrying out the mandate normally conferred on a watershed body provided for in subparagraph a;

(4)  for the St. Lawrence hydrologic unit, provide on the conditions determined by the Minister or agreed between the Minister and any government authority concerned,

(a)  for the establishment of governance mechanisms to ensure, for all or part of the St. Lawrence, co-operation between users and stakeholders in various sectors, and the planning and harmonization of measures for the protection and efficient use of water resources and water-dependent natural resources; and

(b)  for the creation or designation, as the main component of these governance mechanisms, of regional advisory panels to develop and update an integrated management plan for the St. Lawrence and to promote and monitor its implementation, ensuring balanced representation, within the panels, of users and stakeholders in various sectors;

(5)  prescribe rules governing the operation and financing of a body or panel created or designated under subparagraph 3 or 4 and of governance mechanisms established under subparagraph 4;

(6)  (subparagraph repealed);

(7)  determine conditions for developing, updating and monitoring the implementation of a water master plan or an integrated management plan for all or part of the St. Lawrence, including conditions regarding obtaining the Minister’s approval of the plan and submitting status reports to the Minister on the plan’s implementation;

(8)  prescribe requirements for watershed bodies and regional advisory panels with regard to public information and participation measures in connection with their activities, as well as their obligations in monitoring the development of a water master plan or an integrated management plan for the St. Lawrence and in monitoring progress in the plan’s implementation; and

(9)  entrust any mandate to a watershed body or a regional advisory panel to, among other reasons, advise the Minister on water governance matters.

When creating or designating a body under this section, the Minister must publish, particularly in the region concerned and in any appropriate manner, a notice identifying the body and containing a brief description of its mandate.

2009, c. 21, s. 14; 2017, c. 14, s. 8; 2022, c. 8, s. 14.

2017-06-16

14. The Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks may

(1)  establish major directions for concerted, integrated water resource management;

(2)  (subparagraph repealed);

(3)  for each of the hydrologic units referred to in section 13.2 that the Minister specifies, provide, on the conditions determined by the Minister and subject to subparagraph 4, either

(a)  for the creation of a watershed body whose mission is to develop and update a water master plan for its integrated management zone and facilitate and monitor its implementation, ensuring balanced representation, within that body, of users and of stakeholders from such sectors as the government, Native, municipal, economic, environmental, agricultural and community sectors, or

(b)  in exceptional circumstances, for the designation of a body to pursue that mission in conjunction with users and stakeholders;

(4)  for the St. Lawrence hydrologic unit, provide on the conditions determined by the Minister or agreed between the Minister and any government authority concerned,

(a)  for the establishment of governance mechanisms to ensure, for all or part of the St. Lawrence, co-operation between users and stakeholders in various sectors, and the planning and harmonization of measures for the protection and efficient use of water resources and water-dependent natural resources; and

(b)  for the creation or designation, as the main component of these governance mechanisms, of regional advisory panels to develop and update an integrated management plan for the St. Lawrence and to promote and monitor its implementation, ensuring balanced representation, within the panels, of users and stakeholders in various sectors;

(5)  prescribe rules governing the operation and financing of a body or panel created or designated under subparagraph 3 or 4 and of governance mechanisms established under subparagraph 4;

(6)  (subparagraph repealed);

(7)  determine conditions for developing, updating and monitoring the implementation of a water master plan or an integrated management plan for all or part of the St. Lawrence, including conditions regarding obtaining the Minister’s approval of the plan and submitting status reports to the Minister on the plan’s implementation;

(8)  prescribe requirements for watershed bodies and regional advisory panels with regard to public information and participation measures in connection with their activities, as well as their obligations in monitoring the development of a water master plan or an integrated management plan for the St. Lawrence and in monitoring progress in the plan’s implementation; and

(9)  entrust any mandate to a watershed body or a regional advisory panel to, among other reasons, advise the Minister on water governance matters.

When creating or designating a body under this section, the Minister must publish, particularly in the region concerned and in any appropriate manner, a notice identifying the body and containing a brief description of its mission.

2009, c. 21, s. 14; 2017, c. 14, s. 8.

2009-06-18

14. For the purposes of section 13, the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks may

(1)  establish major directions for concerted, integrated water resource management;

(2)  identify and describe hydrologic units, including watersheds, sub-watersheds and groups of watersheds, for all or part of the territory of Québec on the basis of such criteria as

(a)  the area of the hydrologic units;

(b)  the territorial limits of Québec, the administrative regions or the regional county municipalities, as the case may be;

(c)  the population density;

(d)  the past co-operation, cohesion and harmony between the various users and stakeholders; and

(e)  the environmental, social and economic homogeneity of development activities;

(3)  for each of the hydrologic units referred to in subparagraph 2 that the Minister specifies, provide, on the conditions determined by the Minister and subject to subparagraph 4, either

(a)  for the creation of a body whose mission is to develop and update a water master plan and facilitate and monitor its implementation, ensuring balanced representation, within that body, of users and of stakeholders from such sectors as the government, Native, municipal, economic, environmental, agricultural and community sectors, or

(b)  in exceptional circumstances, for the designation of a body to pursue that mission in conjunction with users and stakeholders;

(4)  for the St. Lawrence hydrologic unit, provide on the conditions determined by the Minister or agreed between the Minister and any government authority concerned,

(a)  for the establishment of governance mechanisms to ensure, for all or part of the St. Lawrence, co-operation between users and stakeholders in various sectors, and the planning and harmonization of measures for the protection and efficient use of water resources and water-dependent natural resources; and

(b)  for the creation or designation, as the main component of these governance mechanisms, of a body to develop and update an integrated management plan for the St. Lawrence and to promote and monitor its implementation, ensuring balanced representation, within the body, of users and stakeholders in various sectors;

(5)  prescribe rules governing the operation and financing of a body created or designated under subparagraph 3 or 4 and of governance mechanisms established under subparagraph 4;

(6)  specify the elements that must be dealt with in a water master plan or an integrated management plan for all or part of the St. Lawrence, including the state of waters and water-dependent natural resources, the identification of water uses and an assessment of their effects, an inventory of zones of ecological interest and of ecologically fragile or degraded zones, measures to protect and restore the qualitative or quantitative status of waters, and an evaluation of the economic and financial means required to implement the plan; and

(7)  determine conditions for developing, updating and monitoring the implementation of a water master plan or an integrated management plan for all or part of the St. Lawrence, such as informing the public and enlisting its participation, obtaining the Minister’s approval of the plan, and submitting status reports to the Minister on the plan’s implementation.

When creating or designating a body under this section, the Minister must publish, particularly in the region concerned and in any appropriate manner, a notice identifying the body and containing a brief description of its mission.

2009, c. 21, s. 14.