Pontiac launches plan to tackle future floods
Mélissa Gélinas
Local Journalism Initiative
Published in the Pontiac Journal on Aug 27, 2025.
MRC PONTIAC – A project to develop a flood adaptation plan for MRC Pontiac was launched on July 17, following a $50,000 grant from the Quebec government.
The two-year project, running from 2025 to 2027, will establish strategies and actions to strengthen residents’ safety. “It is a collaborative effort that will require working closely with community leaders,” said Benoit Delage, executive director of the Outaouais Regional Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development (CREDDO).
The Pontiac was hit hard by flooding in 2017 and 2019, particularly in Fort-Coulonge. At that time, a master development plan was created to reassess land-use zones. “We carried out a similar process for the Lac-Beauchamp and Pointe-Gatineau sectors, and we asked ourselves many questions about what actions to implement,” explained Delage. “There are limits to what can be done. We cannot rebuild, but we can redesign the
territory to create buffer zones, for example.”
Details of the plan have not yet been released, but for now, Delage emphasized that the focus is on consultation with residents to develop solutions. “This will allow for better planning in Pontiac municipalities to improve preparedness for flood-related emergencies,” said Jane Toller, Warden of MRC Pontiac. “Above all, this plan aims to improve communication with residents to strengthen public safety.”
In addition, surveying work will be carried out across the Pontiac by the end of October 2025, according to Toller. “These surveys, which are part of the flood adaptation plan,
will improve the accuracy of previously collected data,” she noted.
