Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites Rehabilitation

Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs

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Soil Protection and Rehabilitation of Contaminated Sites

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The government has been working for more than 30 years to protect soil and groundwater and rehabilitate sites that were contaminated by human activity to render them safe and reusable.

Thanks to measures that were implemented on a gradual basis, the government successfully achieved the following:

Inventoried sites contaminated by hazardous commercial and/or industrial activities and accidental spill
Set up a legislative and regulatory framework aimed at protecting the integrity of soil and groundwater from hazardous activities and sustainably rehabilitating sites that were contaminated by such activities
Controlled the management and burial of excavated contaminated soil
Rehabilitated contaminated sites for which the State has responsibility
Made private landowners and municipalities accountable and supported their land rehabilitation efforts
Supported the development of green technology and cutting-edge expertise in this field in Québec
Provided easy and rapid public access to information about contaminated sites held by the government

The Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites Rehabilitation Policy and its Action Plan for 2023-2029 (French), the Guide d’intervention – Protection des sols et réhabilitation des terrains contaminés [Response manual—soil protection and rehabilitation of contaminated sites], Chapter IV (Title 1) Section IV of the Environment Quality Act and related regulations (Land Protection and Rehabilitation Regulation, Regulation respecting the burial of contaminated soils, Regulation respecting contaminated soil storage and contaminated soil transfer stations) provide the oversight that is needed to preserve the integrity of soil and groundwater. The Policy is the key document on the basis of which the Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCC) formulates its strategies and objectives and sets out the action it intends to implement over the next few years to continue its efforts at protecting soil and groundwater sustainably and revitalizing the land. The response manual is the principal reference tool that supports actors who implement the Policy.