To accelerate its climate transition, the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC has been awarded $1,801,149 under the Accelerating Local Climate Transition (ATCL) program, which stems from the 2030 Green Economy Plan recently launched by the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, and the Minister of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, Benoit Charette.

The financial assistance is designed to enable municipal organizations in the region to develop climate plans and accelerate the implementation of projects that will help strengthen the resilience of their communities to the impacts of climate change, as well as reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

"In the Declaration of Reciprocity signed with local governments in December, the Québec government made a commitment to support climate adaptation and transition at the local level. Today, we are proud to honor our commitment by investing, first and without delay, in the development and implementation of climate plans. The resulting projects will also be funded by our government. Thanks to this great collaborative effort, we are taking part in the creation of sustainable and resilient living environments throughout Quebec," stated Minister Laforest.

The ATCL program is part of Measure 4.2 of the Plan for a Green Economy 2030, which aims to engage partners in Quebec's climate transition, as well as Objective 4 of the 2023-2027 Implementation Plan of the National Policy on Architecture and Land Use Planning, which aims to improve communities' ability to adapt to the consequences of climate change, as well as the conservation of natural environments and biodiversity.

"The participation of the municipal sector is essential to achieving Quebec's climate objectives. By launching this new program, we hope that the municipal sector will mobilize quickly, and use these new resources to develop, plan and implement ambitious climate plans that are equal to the challenges posed by climate change," added Benoit Charette.

The Quebec government committed to supporting local climate adaptation and transition as part of the Declaration of Reciprocity concerning the new partnership between the Quebec government and local governments, signed on December 13.