The City of Montreal authorizes the felling of 1,323 trees on two wooded lots that it owns in order to pave the way for possible “development”. A sum of 14 million dollars is also planned for the project, which will be carried out in the coming days. But The duty also noted that this construction site will destroy the habitat of an endangered species and bird nesting sites.
At the end of a call for tenders process, a company obtained a contract worth 14.8 million to carry out work to destroy woodlands located in eastern Montreal. This contract is part of $100 million in funding granted by the Legault government for the “revitalization” of this sector of the city.
“The decision to fell trees was not taken lightly. The lands in question are contaminated sites. Following the analysis of the vegetation, it was agreed that it would be necessary to carry out felling in order to decontaminate the land and thus continue the revitalization of the East, important objectives for the City of Montreal,” explains the administration of Valérie Plante, in a written response to questions from Duty. At the same time, we mention the desire to “welcome structuring economic development projects”.
According to details recorded in an official City document, the contract provides for the “felling” of 1,323 trees on two neighboring lands located between Henri-Bourassa Boulevard and Highway 40. According to what was observed The duty On site, there are areas of shrubs as well as large mature trees in these green spaces frequented by white-tailed deer. The two areas, where illegal dumping of waste is observed, are surrounded by sites occupied by companies linked to trucking.
Despite the planned destruction of wooded areas, “no reforestation clause is included in the contract, because it is a decontamination project with a view to rehabilitating for future development”, specifies a document drafted by the Permanent Commission on the examination of contracts.
In addition to deforestation, it is in fact planned to “excavate, manage the spoil and carry out rehabilitation work as well as backfilling and leveling”. The document also underlines that “the project has certain particularities which make it complex, including the large volume of contaminated soil, the number of trees to be felled, the surface area of the land as well as the presence of snakes, which must be relocated” .
Threatened species
According to scientific information available on the website of the Natural Heritage Data Center of Quebec (CDPNQ), which is under the responsibility of the government, the lands in question are in fact habitats for the brown snake, a species classified as “threatened” by the government of Quebec.
Among the threats to this “harmless to humans” reptile, we mention urbanization. Several development projects have also destroyed the species’ habitats over the years in the metropolitan region, which includes its entire range in Quebec.
The CDPNQ also indicates the potential presence of an endangered plant species in one of the woodlands that will be destroyed, but its name is not publicly available.
As these are two of the rare woodlands in this heavily industrialized sector, they are most likely frequented by several species of birds, underlines the general director of the QuébecOiseaux organization, Jean-Sébastien Guénette. When passing the Dutywe observed moreover the presence of several different species.
Nesting
In this context, the felling of trees is likely to destroy nesting sites of certain species, including some migratory ones. “For the majority of species, the critical period extends from mid-May to the end of July, but some […] are already nesting now, while others will nest until the end of August,” explains the avian wildlife specialist.
What is more, recalls Mr. Guénette, under the “Migratory Birds Convention Act of 1994”, it is formally prohibited “to harm migratory birds and to disturb or destroy their nests or their eggs, and this , across Canada. This means that from a period which begins in mid-April and extends until the end of August, it would be prohibited to carry out deforestation work in the two woodlands.
“The felling work is planned before the nesting period, i.e. from March 24 to April 14, 2024,” specifies the City, however, in a written response. Potential nesting sites will therefore be destroyed, but before the birds arrive.
Furthermore, the Plante administration must shortly announce a development plan for the sector of Boulevard de l’Assomption and Avenue Souligny, in Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. As recently revealed The dutyit would be a question of razing part of one of the last wooded areas in the sector, called “Steinberg woodland”, in order to build a new road section designed essentially to facilitate industrial trucking.
Citizens in the area who have been campaigning for the protection of green spaces for years have already promised to block any project that would encroach on this wooded area. An official presentation is planned for March 26. According to the official speech of Valérie Plante’s administration, the scenario that will be selected “must imperatively aim to improve the quality of life of residents by reducing nuisances”, in addition to “maximizing the preservation and acquisition green spaces”.