The Trudeau government finally adopted a decree that definitively stops the road works which partially destroyed a habitat of the Chorus Frog in Longueuil. The Legault government had given the green light to the project, despite an opinion from its experts who had highlighted the risks for this endangered species.
The decree, which came into force on Monday, puts an end to the project to extend Boulevard Béliveau, in Longueuil, over a distance of approximately 300 meters. The work was already suspended, after a request for an injunction presented in Court by the Quebec Center for Environmental Law (CQDE) and the Society for Nature and Parks (SNAP Quebec).
“The Emergency Decree encompasses approximately 20 hectares of critical habitat for the metapopulation in Longueuil, portions of which are under development or for which authorizations for future development have been issued,” specifies the document published by the federal government.
The government is also reviewing the reasons for the decline of this species, which is protected under the Species at Risk Act. “The main threats to this species and its habitat include urban development, intensification of agricultural activities and the expansion and maintenance of linear infrastructure. “
The Chorus Frog has already lost more than 90% of its habitat in Quebec, mainly due to urban sprawl. Certain habitats of the species located in the sector of Boulevard Béliveau, in Longueuil, have been destroyed over the years and others, near Boisé Du Tremblay, were damaged or destroyed at the end of 2020.
In a report of “threats” dated March 2021, that the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFFP) refused to transmit to the To have to, experts are also sounding the alarm by pointing out that less than 25% of the populations present in Quebec will be able to survive, unless a brake is put on the growing threats.
Habitat to restore
Faced with the Trudeau government’s inaction to stop the ongoing destruction of a habitat protected from the Chorus Frog in Longueuil, the CQDE and SNAP Quebec filed in October a lawsuit in Federal Court to force the Minister of Environment to intervene.
The Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, subsequently promised, at the beginning of November, to act to stop the extension of Boulevard Béliveau, along which a real estate project was planned directly in the habitat of this species. , consisting of temporary wetlands that are necessary for reproduction.
Under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), it is prohibited to destroy the recognized “critical” habitat of a species such as the Chorus Frog. In this context, Minister Guilbeault therefore had an obligation to recommend that the federal government act. In interview with The duty on September 9, Mr. Guilbeault had already promised to rigorously enforce SARA in Quebec, in situations where the Quebec government does not sufficiently protect the habitats of endangered species.
For the general manager of the Société pour la nature et des parcs du Québec, Alain Branchaud, the work stoppage will not solve the many problems arising from carrying out road works directly in the habitat of the chorus frog. According to him, it will be essential to stop the drainage of the wetland which was started at the request of the City of Longueuil, otherwise the population of tree frogs will disappear.
An imposing 30-meter concrete tunnel was also built in this wetland. According to the City of Longueuil, this is a “wildlife passage” supposed to allow the free movement of amphibians, whose size does not exceed 2.5 centimeters.
Quebec authorizations
The work was authorized by the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, despite an unfavorable opinion from experts from the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFFP). However, this “wildlife notice” was not taken into account in the Legault government’s decision.
Representatives of the Quebec Ministry of the Environment have also helped the City of Longueuil to obtain the authorizations to build the street, revealed recently The duty. They explained to the City the procedure to be followed to avoid the unfavorable opinion of the MFFP experts, since they concluded that the project would wipe out one of the last wetlands sheltering this endangered species.