Ottawa, Quebec pledge $57.5 million over five years to protect St. Lawrence River

Canada and Quebechave committed $57.5 millionin funding over the next five years toprotect the St.Lawrence River.

Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna joined Quebec's Environment Minister David Heurtel and Montreal Mayor Denis CoderreMonday to make the announcement.

The fundingis part of a 15-year agreement between the federaland Quebecgovernments to protect the St. Lawrence River through scientific research and action.

Ottawa is contributing $35.2 million andQuebec is contributing $22.3 million over the next five years.

The money will go towards 38 joint federal-provincial projectsfocused on fighting erosion, improving water qualityand preparing for future flooding.

• The St. Lawrence River in 2016: Raw sewage, PCBs and more biodiversity

Protecting biodiversityand sustainable development are listed as other priorities for the St. Lawrence River.

"There's still an enormous amount of work to do," said Heurtel, who noted the impact of flooding could worsen due to climate change.

Coderre applauded the intergovernmental cooperation, saying all three levels are working hand in hand to protect the river.

Activist says plan doesn't go far enough

Femke Bergsma, of the environmentalist group GRAME, was biking alongthe LachineCanal in Montreal when she noticed the news conference taking place.

• Are Quebec's rivers getting too loud for belugas?
• Beluga researchers alarmed by number of mothers, newborns dying in St. Lawrence Estuary

She stopped to listen and was unimpressed with what she heard.

"I was a little bit disappointed with the answers of the ministers todifferent questions we were asking," she said.

"They told us very little on the concrete measures that will be taken."