200 Quebec municipalities have no emergency plan: report
Law requires a plan to deal with disasters such as 1998 ice storm
More than 200 Quebec municipalities do not have a plan to deal with disasters such as the ice storm that hit the province in 1998, even though it's required by law, according to a government report obtained by Radio-Canada.
Saturday will mark the 10th anniversary of the ice storm that devastated parts of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.
In 2001, the Quebec government passed a law requiring all municipalities to have an emergency plan in place to deal with such disasters.
But the government report shows that 20 per cent of municipalities do not have one.
Quebec's Deputy Minister of Public Security Michel C. Doré told Radio-Canada he understands why some communities might not be prepared.
He said some small municipalities have a hard time just keeping up with day-to-day demands, and it's difficult for them to take on an extra dossier like this.
Doré pointed out that, according to the report, four out of five municipalities do have a plan.
When asked if anyone had gone to each municipality to verify that those who say they have an emergency plan actually have one, he replied that it's not the job of the government to judge municipalities.
Doré said the government has faith that cities and towns could handle themselves if disaster struck again.