The Legault government this week authorized Northvolt to destroy twice as large an area of wetlands as another construction project refused on the same site less than a year ago. Experts from the Ministry of the Environment then justified their decision by emphasizing the rich biodiversity of the land, the essential nature of the natural environments for the region and the “impressive diversity” of the fauna, including the presence of species threatened.
The duty obtained the authorization granted Monday to Northvolt to allow it to destroy the natural environments of the site of its future vehicle battery component factory. It can be seen that the project will “affect” a total of 153,732 m2 of wetlands, including 15,570 m2 will have to be restored by the end of 2032, but without giving further details. This green light is in accordance with the request submitted by the Swedish company.
10 months ago, i.e. March 7, 2023, this same Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) had nevertheless refused real estate developers the right to destroy 64,936 m2 wetlands on the same land.
Over five pages, the ministry justified its decision by emphasizing the “attack on the ecological functions and biodiversity of wetlands” which would result from the “destruction” of these natural environments.
It should be noted that the authorization granted this week does not mention the word “destruction”, while the refusal uses this term four times, in particular to talk about lost wetlands and “vegetable cover”. Both documents are signed by the same “regional director of analysis and expertise for Montérégie”.
The March 2023 document highlights that the projected loss of 64,936 m2 of wetlands would undermine “the biodiversity conservation function that the wetlands present on the site fulfill by causing the destruction of large areas of diverse environments offering habitats for food, shelter and reproduction of living species “. At the same time, it is stated that the diversity of ponds and marshes “provides a variety of habitats for living species, which allows the maintenance of biodiversity in a context where natural environments are rare and where agricultural practices and urban development homogenizes the landscape.
Even though the Legault government and Northvolt have mentioned several times that some of the wetlands were the result of past work on the site, including decontamination, the ministry’s experts argue that “the origin or cause of the appearance of the wetlands wet is not part of the analysis criteria.
“Impressive diversity”
The March 2023 document also mentions the “impressive diversity” of bird species – 142, according to available data – observed on the site, which is considered a nesting place and a “migratory stopover”. The land is also used “by several wildlife groups”, including endangered species. The data provided to Duty this week by the MELCCFP report 21 threatened or vulnerable species.
In this context, a green light would weaken “the connectivity links between the natural environments of the region”, since razing the site is “likely to compromise the movement of species through a fragmented network and to have a negative impact on the viability and persistence of populations and, by extension, on biodiversity.”
“The size and location of the site allow it to play the role of intermediary between two important forest massifs, namely Mont Saint-Bruno and Mont Saint-Hilaire, and between the regionally recognized forest corridors associated with these two Monteregian hills,” we specify.
An “industrial” site
Why is the destruction of wetlands by Northvolt more acceptable than what was planned as part of the real estate project called Quartier MC2? “You should know that the real estate project and Northvolt are two different projects and that the implementation plans are not the same. The site in question is an industrial site which is suitable for the establishment of an industrial project,” responds the office of the minister responsible for MELCCFP, Benoit Charette.
In addition to financial compensation of $4.75 million for the destruction of wetlands, “the company is also committed to creating, restoring or preserving natural environments over an area to be determined, which will be “equal ecological value,” adds Mr. Charette’s office.
A sector of 30 to 50 hectares will have to be preserved or restored elsewhere in Quebec, but Northvolt has three years to propose a site to the ministry and obtain its approval.
Associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Montreal, Stéphanie Pellerin has difficulty explaining how “a site considered important for the protection of biodiversity suddenly became unimportant”. She argues that the “refusal” document was the result of rigorous scientific analysis. “The reasons mentioned in March 2023 are still valid today,” she says.
Mme Pellerin deplores the industrial development of one of the last natural sites in the region located on the banks of the Richelieu River. The MELCCFP document dated March 2023 also raised this question: “The areas currently occupied by wetlands in the Richelieu River watershed are estimated at around 6%, which is already insufficient to ensure the maintenance of functions. ecological that these environments fulfill. »
The general director of the Society for Nature and Parks of Quebec, Alain Branchaud, agrees. “Two similar requests presented for the same destruction activities and for the same batches over an interval of only 10 months resulting in two diametrically opposed responses endorsed by the same signatory. Clearly, the more we dig into this file, the more it becomes clear to us that an independent environmental assessment is necessary. »
On Wednesday, the Quebec Liberal Party, Quebec Solidaire and the Parti Québécois advocated for the completion of an environmental assessment, including a review by the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment, before moving forward.