Mille Îles River Challenge 2021
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Congratulations to the finalists
About the Challenge
The Mille Îles River, located north of Montreal is 42-kilometers long, extends across 9 distinct urban and agricultural areas, and provides drinking water to over 450,000 citizens. It is home to fragile flora and fauna which are essential to healthy river ecosystems but also faces environmental challenges caused by wastewater and other pollution sources. The developed solutions will meet local needs while having the potential to scale and have global impact.

The Freshwater Issues
Sewage Overflows
Develop a tool for the analysis, management and planning of activities for the protection and restoration of aquatic habitats in order to facilitate decision making and to act faster than they are degraded
Water Issue Leader:
COBAMIL, City of Terrebonne
Ice Cover on the river
Predict and control variations in the thickness and duration of ice cover to facilitate decision-making regarding permitted uses and activities on the ice, and to better understand the impact of climate change.
Water Issue Leader:
Arrimage.COM Inc.
Avian Fauna and Water Quality
Mitigate and predict the impact of the growing avian fauna (geese, ducks and gulls) on the public banks of the Mille Îles River in order to improve water quality for recreational use.
Water Issue Leader:
City of Laval
Aquatic Habitats
Develop a tool for the analysis, management and planning of activities for the protection and restoration of aquatic habitats in order to facilitate decision making and to act faster than they are degraded.
Water Issue Leader:
Éco-Nature
Water issues summary
In the link below you can find a summary document about the environmental freshwater issues, with additional information and resources (in french).
Advisory Committee
Brigitte Bérubé
President of the Board of Directors, C.I.EAU
Chantale Chatelain
Responsible for Laval's drinking water conservation strategy, City of Laval
Denis Brouillette
Scientific Advisor, MELCCC - Quebec
François Bilodeau
General Manager, Laval Innov
Jean Lauzon
Director of Development, Eco-Nature
Louis Beaupré
Director of Expertise, Landscape Architecture, STANTEC
Louise Hodder
Executive Director, Pôle régional d'économie sociale de Laval
Mathieu Laneuville
Deputy Director, Technical Sector Manager, Réseau Environnement
Nicolas St-Gelais
Scientific Director and Co-Founder, CANN Forecast (Alumni AquaHacking 2016)
Pierre-Marc Sarrazin
Vice President, Corporate Finance and Treasury, OVIVO
Richard Painchaud
President and CEO, Kourant Technologies
Sébastien Sauvé
Vice-Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Université de Montréal
Virginie Dufour
Responsible for environmental issues, City of Laval