Metropolitan Community of Montreal | Three new golf courses are added to those that will be protected

Despite the numerous lawsuits against it, the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) will adopt this Thursday an amendment to its interim control by-law in order to protect three other golf courses on its territory. The supramunicipal organization persists and signs: it affirms that it does not exceed its powers by acting in this way.

Eric-Pierre Champagne
The Press

474 hectares protected

After adopting in June a first interim control regulation (RCI) aimed at protecting six golf courses with the potential for conversion into green space, the CMM will add three other golf courses on Thursday, learned The Press. The area of ​​these protected areas will thus increase to 474 hectares, or two and a half times the area of ​​Mount Royal Park. The Boucherville golf club, Golf Dorval and Golf Ste-Rose, in Laval, have been added to the list. The amended regulations must be approved by the Quebec government, which had already given its approval to the first draft on August 25. In concrete terms, the RCI has the effect of preventing any subdivision project on these golf courses until the CMM submits its revised Metropolitan Development and Urban Plan (PMAD), no later than 2025.

The case of Golf Dorval

In the case of Golf Dorval, nearly 107 hectares, slightly more than the area of ​​Parc Angrignon, will be protected by the CMM. Located near the Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau airport, the land also adjoins a natural environment of 155 hectares where there is in particular a fallow land called “Champ des Monarques”. This is the property of the federal government. A group of citizens and scientists is also calling for these lands, which are home to a rich biodiversity, to be protected. Among other things, there are monarch butterflies, an endangered species in Canada. The group has received the support of several politicians over the past few years.

COP 15 in sight

“These three new golf courses that will be protected once again demonstrate the ability of cities to take strong action to accelerate the ecological transition,” said the mayor of Montreal and president of the CMM, Valérie Plante. According to her, the protection of Golf Dorval was crucial to protect biodiversity as Montreal prepares to host the next international summit on biodiversity, COP 15, next December. “We expect this strong gesture to serve as an example for our partners and the upper levels, which have an important role to play in the ecological transition and the protection of our natural environments,” said Ms.^me Plant.

A major backlog

For several years, the CMM has been trying to make up for a significant backlog in the protection of natural environments on its territory. Since 2012, the objective set under the PMAD has been to protect 17% of the territory by 2031. However, until very recently, the CMM was still stagnating at 10.1%. This is why, last April, it adopted an RCI prohibiting all construction in woodlands and wetlands of interest on its territory. Thus, the proportion of protected territory rose to 22.3%. For the CMM, this delay was all the more important to make up for as experts now recommend a target of 30% by 2030.

Lawsuits pile up

Lawsuits have been filed by owners or developers challenging the two most recent CMM regulations. Fifteen appeals target the RCI on natural environments and three attack that on golf courses with the potential for conversion into green space, confirmed to The Press the law firm Bélanger Sauvé, which represents the CMM. Several appeals that The Press was able to consult mention in particular the argument that the CMM exceeds its powers by adopting such regulations and that they are “illegal”. According to lawyer Marc-André LeChasseur, who represents the CMM, but who is also a professor of land use planning at McGill University, we are currently witnessing a clash between property rights and collective interests. environmental protection and land use planning. “It was starting to be time for governments to do something,” he says.

A “legitimate” regulation, argues an expert

“There is no doubt that MWC can do this [l’adoption de règlement de contrôle intérimaire] “, argues M.^e The hunter. An opinion shared by Danielle Pilette, professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) and specialist in issues of governance in the municipal world. “To me, it’s very legitimate and it’s most likely legal as well. According to her, the legal remedies against the RCI are “premature”. “The name says it, it’s a control and it’s interim. It imposes a moratorium and it is excellent to do so. This has the effect of giving time to plan [la révision du PMAD]. Many promoters are in a hurry, but it is in the collective interest to do that, especially since these are considerable areas, ”she adds.