Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard says the outcome of a referendum in which voters narrowly rejected a proposed Muslim-owned cemetery was disappointing.
Voters shot down a zoning change by a 19-16 margin Sunday that would have allowed for the project to go ahead in Saint-Apollinaire, about 35 kilometres southwest of Quebec City.
The plan for the cemetery was developed after the Quebec City mosque shooting in January that left six people dead, but the issue was sent to a referendum after enough people came forward to oppose the project.
Speaking to reporters in Edmonton today, Couillard dismissed criticism the provincial government did not get involved in the referendum campaign.
That said, Couillard says the province will now turn its attention to finding a solution.
He says the Muslims in the Quebec City area need a designated space to bury their dead.