A translation by Judith Turcotte.
The harbours are essential to our economy; however, their existence has a negative impact on the ecosystem of the St. Lawrence River and the quality of life of our cities’ residents for whom access to the river has become a priority. During the construction of these harbours a number of years ago, the impact on the ecosystem and the residents’ lack of access were not considered. Far be it for me to blame the past in light of the considerations of today but our harbours along the St. Lawrence require updating of their infrastructure which are outdated. These updates must take into account the impact on our environment.
The expansion of the Port of Montréal in Contrecoeur aims to increase the container handling capacity. This project is the largest in the history of the harbour. The expansion covers 468 acres, almost ten times the area of the Olympic Park. There is no doubt that this project is economically justified, however, what about its impact on the ecosystem and on the quality of life of the residents?
The work should begin in 2025 and the Port de Montréal will have to comply with 387 environmental conditions imposed by the federal government. These conditions include planting 40,000 plants, trees and shrubs to compensate for the loss of 20,000 trees and the implementation of protective measures for a variety of species of animals: a better quality of water for the copper redhorse (chevalier cuivré), the accommodation of artificial nesting boxes for the swallows and the construction of three condominiums for the bats. Seriously! I am still trying to find out what will be done to ensure access and the quality of life for the human species. I also ask myself if condominiums will be built to house the 1200 workers who will be there to ensure the exploitation of this new harbour.
The Port de Montréal assures us that a study of the environmental impact has been made covering numerous aspects such as the traffic, the aquatic and terrestrial environments, the maritime transport and the impacts on neighbouring communities. A study was made but the fact remains that the construction of the Contrecoeur terminal raises concerns about the preservation of the local ecosystems. The project is needed; however, it is also necessary to ensure that the planned impacts be supervised.
For this purpose, a team was assigned to ensure that the environmental conditions required by the federal government be respected. The question that bothers me focuses on the composition of the team. We find representatives of the Municipal Organization of the security of the civil municipality of Contrecoeur, a team of environmental experts of the Port de Montréal and a person in charge of Contrecoeur’s urban development and environment. Who on this team is not in a conflict of interest? They are either employed by the city of Contrecoeur or by the Port de Montréal. It is certainly not an independent committee.