Montreal will pay $17 million to Ray-Mont Logistiques to settle its third-of-a-billion lawsuit, in exchange for improvements to its transshipment site project in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
The city made the announcement Thursday, adding that it is committed to protecting the entirety of the nearby Steinberg Woods. It is also acquiring a strip of green space about 45 metres wide – part of an area known locally as “the wasteland” – that currently houses railway tracks.
“We went as far as we could legally go to make gains for the community. I am completely satisfied with what we are proposing today,” said Borough Mayor Pierre Lessard-Blais. “An elephant is eaten piece by piece and that is what we have done in recent years, by managing to make all these gains. We are very proud of it.”
This area of eastern Montreal has been the subject of citizen mobilization for several years. Local residents opposed the arrival of a new industrial project and were concerned about seeing Quebec extend two trucking arteries (Assomption and Souligny) through vacant lots.
Mobilisation 6600, the main citizen group involved in this debate, said it was partially satisfied on Thursday. The collective is pleased with the promise to preserve the entire Steinberg woods and the acquisition of part of the “wasteland,” but is saddened by the agreement reached between Montreal and Ray-Mont Logistiques. “It’s inevitable,” said spokesperson Cassandre Charbonneau-Jobin. “We expected there to be an agreement or a trial, but in both cases, the citizens are the losers.”
“We are proud of the progress we have made, which shows that the collaboration has borne fruit,” said Charles Raymond, President and CEO of Ray-Mont Logistiques, in a press release. “We are continuing to work with the players concerned with the same openness that we have always demonstrated.”
The City of Montreal initially opposed Ray-Mont Logistiques’ establishment in this sector. However, the Superior Court of Quebec and the Court of Appeal confirmed that the company had the right to set up there. In the wake of these decisions, Ray-Mont Logistiques launched – in 2021 – a lawsuit seeking damages of $373 million against the City of Montreal.
“It was an immense pressure on taxpayers,” said elected official Sophie Mauzerolle on Thursday. “It was important to reach an agreement.”