William Crooks
Sherbrooke Mayor Évelyne Beaudin and Geneviève Hébert, MNA for Saint-François, answer reporters’ questions following the announcement of over $13 million in provincial funding for local water infrastructure projects
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
The Quebec government has granted $13.2 million to the City of Sherbrooke to support major upgrades to its aging water infrastructure. The announcement was made Monday, May 5 by Geneviève Hébert, MNA for Saint-François, on behalf of Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest. The funds are part of the 2023 Municipal Water Infrastructure Program (PRIMEAU), which provides support for large-scale waterworks renewal projects across Quebec.
Flanked by Sherbrooke Mayor Évelyne Beaudin and municipal officials, Hébert delivered the news at a press conference before taking questions from local media.
“This financial assistance will allow for the renewal of more than 3,200 metres of drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater conduits,” Hébert said. The work will take place on several streets, including Curé-LaRocque, Haig, Moore, Rioux, Lincoln, Fairmount, du Fédéral, Cambrai, des Ormes, and Dufferin.
Hébert noted that the Province will cover 75 per cent of the total project cost, which is estimated at just over $17 million. She praised the City’s long-term planning and commitment to improving underground infrastructure. “These are essential and crucial projects that are not always visible, but ones our government is proud to support.”
Mayor Beaudin emphasized that the projects are part of a broader, multi-year strategy to modernize Sherbrooke’s water systems. “Already, two requests under the PRIMEAU program have been submitted. The first was approved in July 2023 for $8.8 million. Today’s announcement represents the second, bringing the total so far to nearly $22 million,” she said.
Beaudin explained that Sherbrooke is entitled to over $41 million under the PRIMEAU envelope over a ten-year period. “These amounts allow us to take real steps toward reducing our maintenance deficit and upgrading our infrastructure to today’s standards.”
While welcoming the funding, Beaudin made it clear that the program does not cover all the city’s water-related needs. “If we want to respond to all of them, we’ll need to think outside of current programs,” she said. “Every program comes with conditions, and combining those conditions is a challenge at the local level. That’s why we continue to advocate for unconditional transfers to municipalities.”
Asked whether the funding would affect the moratorium on new developments imposed in February due to wastewater overflow concerns, Beaudin said the two issues were not directly related. “The issues were already known, and the amounts already committed. Today’s announcement doesn’t change that.”
She explained that the projects covered by PRIMEAU funding are part of a long-standing plan and focus on linear infrastructure—underground pipes and conduits—rather than overflow stations or the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
“We have over 150 kilometres of combined sewer lines where stormwater and domestic wastewater share the same conduit,” she said. “This puts pressure on the network, and separating those systems is part of our work, but these specific projects were already planned and are not tied directly to overflow infrastructure.”
Beaudin confirmed that a special committee has been formed to examine funding options for upgrading the wastewater treatment plant, which is expected to cost tens of millions. “We’re going to need innovative solutions and potentially new funding sources,” she said, adding that these upgrades could eventually have tax implications for residents. “Not for 2025—the budget has already been adopted—but this will certainly be a concern for the next municipal council.”
She added that the committee’s recommendations will be delivered to the next council, and expressed hope that the next mayor “will be passionate about water management.”
Beaudin also pointed to regulatory changes as a key reason for Sherbrooke’s moratorium on new developments in certain zones. “The government changed the standards,” she said. “Before, overflow limits were based on city-wide averages. Now they are measured outlet by outlet. One day we were within the norms, and the next day we were not.”
Asked whether the current funding will help resolve some of the 26 infrastructure zones affected by the moratorium, Beaudin responded, “Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.” She reiterated that the projects funded through this announcement focus on already-planned work unrelated to the specific overflow sites.
Work is already underway, according to Beaudin. “The construction season started about a month ago. You’re probably seeing crews around the city. But even for us as elected officials, it’s not always obvious which project falls under which program.”
The City is following a government-approved project plan that prioritizes each site based on need. “Sometimes the choice of which site to start with depends on the requirements of the particular program. For example, if the funding envelope is about to expire, that can affect which project gets done first.”
She acknowledged that some residents may question the locations chosen for construction. “People may see us working on a street and wonder why, or why not somewhere else. The truth is, our priorities are based on underground infrastructure needs—not what’s visible at the surface.”
Ultimately, Beaudin framed the investments as necessary groundwork for future growth. “If we don’t do this, we can’t develop. We’re stuck. But if we do it right, we’ll have a strong, modern system ready to serve Sherbrooke for decades to come.”
According to a related release, the PRIMEAU program is part of the Quebec Infrastructure Plan 2025–2035, which includes over $7 billion in municipal infrastructure investments. Sherbrooke’s current water upgrades represent one of the largest infrastructure projects under this program to date.