The Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, and the Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, tabled the implementation plan for the National Policy on Architecture and Land Use Planning, while the Minister of Agriculture, André Lamontagne, launched a vast consultation with a view to thoroughly reviewing the Act respecting the protection of agricultural land and agricultural activities.
These two announcements in quick succession are linked: the development of cities very often encroaches on the agricultural land that is being cut down by the development plans of the municipalities.
Last year, the Legault government unveiled the National Policy on Architecture and Land Use Planning. The main orientations are currently the subject of consultations, but the implementation plan already lists six objectives, including the development of complete living environments, the preservation of natural environments, better protection of agricultural land and an increase in architectural quality.
In this regard, given the poor quality and often the ugliness of the buildings that contractors build with the support of unconcerned municipalities, it is true to say, the hill to climb is steep. Through the creation of an Office for the Promotion of Architecture, the CAQ government intends to raise architectural quality in Quebec through regulations in order to establish “conditions conducive to the development of innovative and creative architecture , which relies on know-how and talent,” reads the press release released this week by Minister Laforest’s office. It is a matter of developing “a real culture of architecture in Quebec”, according to Minister Lacombe, a culture that is clearly absent at the present time. All tastes are in nature, it is said, including the bad taste spread by the indifference and ignorance of entrepreneurs who improvise as architects or who make complacent architects live and by those of their allies, the municipal administrations. . There are exceptions, but they prove the rule. Just to see, we see well, as they say.
Broadly speaking, the policy advocates consolidating urban development by taking advantage of existing infrastructure instead of building new ones. The plan provides for the establishment of a monitoring system for land use planning at the national, regional and metropolitan levels. This is a step in the right direction: such monitoring will ultimately lead to progress.
As for Minister Lamontagne, he will trust the “collective intelligence” of Quebecers to review the Act respecting the protection of agricultural land and agricultural activities after a wide-ranging consultation fueled by factual data. His approach contrasts with that of the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, who will dispense with holding such a consultation before tabling, all tied up, his bill on energy transition at the autumn, a complex subject which involves the whole of society. Question of style, we will say.
The consultation will begin this summer and end at the end of fall 2023. It will focus on three major themes covered by as many booklets. The first, published last week, represents a state of the situation of the agricultural territory. The other two will be published later: one will focus on agricultural activities, in particular its environmental challenges, and the vitality of rural communities. The other concerns the ownership of agricultural land, its availability and the speculation to which it is subject.
The first booklet tells us that the agricultural zone accounts for only 4.7% of the area of Quebec and that only 2% is cultivated or grazing. What’s more, only 30% of the soils have great potential for all types of crops. Eloquent statistics: the area of cultivated land represents only 0.24 ha per inhabitant in Quebec, compared to 1.52 ha for Canada as a whole, 1.22 ha for the United States and 0.42 for France.
The availability of land for agricultural succession, the financialization of their properties, the increase in fallow land linked to speculation, the vitality of rural municipalities and the importance of practicing agriculture that respects the environment are all questions that justify to thoroughly review the Act respecting the protection of agricultural land and agricultural activities 45 years after its adoption.
We must salute the Legault government’s desire to limit urban sprawl after decades of liberal inertia. It makes land use planning a major issue. And even if there is far from the cut to the lips, the task has begun.