A real estate developer razed a wooded area on the banks of the Rivière des Mille-Îles, in Laval, a gesture that the municipality describes as illegal.
Gazaille Construction wanted to transform the land into a residential development. City Hall was against it because of the risk of flooding and for conservation purposes.
It’s the Mail Laval, the local weekly, which reported the story on Monday. The land in question is located in Fabreville, just in front of the intersection of Boulevard Sainte-Rose and 10e av. The destruction took place at the beginning of November.
The newspaper reports the testimonies of indignant neighbors. “People used the trail every day to walk their dogs or to access the river,” said one. He called the municipality when he saw a mechanical shovel destroying the wooded area. “It didn’t take long. [L’opérateur] leaned his mechanical shovel on the top of the trees and laid it down one after the other. »
“It is ab-so-lu-ment unacceptable,” wrote the mayor of Laval, Stéphane Boyer, on Facebook. “Let me tell you that we will take all possible legal recourse against the promoter. He is certainly not above the law. He added that he was asking Quebec to allow cities to impose higher fines for this type of behavior.
Gazaille Construction’s lawyer did not immediately call back The Press.