Environmental studies of 10 contaminated sites in Shawinigan

A total of $350,000 in funding will be used to analyze 10 contaminated sites and develop a comprehensive action plan to remediate all sites in Shawinigan. As a result of the Shawinigan's deindustrialization, the City inherited a number of contaminated brownfields. Ten of these sites, which include the former Jacques-Plante Arena, the Dupont property and the Grand-Mère municipal garage, have already been identified as priorities and will undergo further in-depth environmental assessments. The new data will give a comprehensive overview that will help determine the remediation potential of most contaminated sites within Shawinigan city limits. The data will also be used to develop a comprehensive rehabilitation and redevelopment plan. The comprehensive action plan will in turn be used to create a new land use and sustainable development plan that will be adopted in the coming months. The site development plan will include incentives to encourage decontamination, an assessment of potential property tax revenues and the creation of mixed development plans combining leisure, residential, commercial and industrial uses. Thanks to its comprehensive sustainable urban development plan for contaminated sites, Shawinigan is regarded as a pioneer in Quebec, since only the City of Montreal has a similar plan. Furthermore, the lessons learned from this project will be compiled in a report for the benefit of every community across Canada facing similar challenges. (As per February 10, 2016 announcement)