Since a few years, the environmental policies of the cities have had a tendency to change a lot.
Often, in the optics of a bigger respect of the environment, certain cities will place at your disposal new installations or they will impose new restrictions.
Here are some environmental measures taken by the municipalities of Quebec:
- Systematic inspections of the gutters of the residences whose roof is inclined
(Sherbrooke)
- Prohibition of the use of pesticides or certain categories (Sherbrooke, Montreal, Trois-
Rivières)
- Encouragement of ‘herbicyclage’ (Drummondville, Montreal)
- Total or partial prohibition of watering of the lawns (Drummondville, Trois-Rivières,
Montreal, Sherbrooke, Granby)
- Prohibition of heating with wood (Montreal)
- Obligatory rolling waste basket (Granby, Trois-Rivières, Sherbooke)
The environmental policies are usually beneficial for the whole of the citizens, they are thus consequently also for the owners.
For example, the environmental dynamism of Sherbrooke leads more students to choose its university, it is an increase in the customers for the owners. On the other hand, certain restrictive payments can force the owners to change these installations (as for example the garbage collection every 4 weeks in winter in Sherbrooke which will generate problems of insalubrity and storage).
Of course, it happens that the owner has the possibility or not of using for his rental units a service of the city, such as for example the compost basket (Sherbrooke). It is only up to you to get or not this kind of service for your tenants.
Near the town of Sherbrooke, the owners of residences can or can not install compost baskets for buildings of six units and more. The space required, the fact of having to wash the baskets, to transport them to the street for the collection and their snow clearance in winter, encourages the APQ, in partnership with the RPHL, to enter into negotiation with the municipal authorities so that this measure is not imposed and that other solutions, less complicated and as much effective, can install without harming the owners and the tenants.
In certain cases the imposition of a severe regulation is necessary, it generally occurs after the appearance of problems on the level of human health or of biodiversity.
The City of Montreal issued in April 2009 the adoption of regulation 09-012 on the heating of solid fuel which prohibits the installation (and the replacement) of any appliance or fireplace which is used for combustion except certain appliances with certified granules. It is sometimes possible to modify these installations so that they become in conformity with the standard of emission of fine particles of the City of Montreal. The first cause, the adoption of this regulation, is the problem of smog which is caused by the emission of fine particles in the air, by cars but also by residential combustion of wood. Environment Canada advances a fine particle emission of about 61% for heating with the wood compared to 14% due to transport. One understands the importance then to target the heating with wood in a city dealing with problems of air quality.
In certain cases, the problem is so important that an environmental policy will be adopted at the governmental level. One can think of the adoption of 35 measures to counter blue algae (cyano-bacteria) in 2007 by the provincial government, which have an impact as much on the level of the regulations relative to the construction of dwellings, the management of septic installations and the modifications of riversides. Often little informed by the new regulations, the owners see themselves refused a permit of restoration or getting a fine because the project which they had envisaged does not respect new regulatory measures. You should especially inform yourself if your dwelling or your buildings are located on the edge of a river, on the riverside, a littoral or considered as a humid environment, an authorization could have to be delivered to you.
In addition to the environmental policies, the municipalities create, little by little, new installations to your service such as the eco-centres which make it possible to get rid of waste which is not dealt with by the collection of the household refuse: electric household appliances, cumbersome waste (armchair, mattress, etc), construction waste, dangerous restoration and domestic residues (paintings, batteries, solvents, neons, used oils, etc)
Keep yourself up-to-date with respect to the municipal policy and take advantage of your rights as owners when abusive measures are considered. Ask advice from our legal service to know your recourse in the event of litigation, thus avoiding nasty surprises!
'' Regulations concerning heating with wood of certain municipalities: Environment Canada
http://www.ec.gc.ca/residentiel-residential/default.asp?lang=Fr&n=2498778F-1
Environmental authorities of the Government of Quebec
http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/autorisations/inter.htm#c''