Montreal’s light rail transit system, the Réseau express métropolitain, is developing a station next to one of the city’s most biodiverse parks. Part of the RÉM will tunnel under Technoparc, where multiple sinkholes have occurred since development began.
Local 514 looks into the risk the development not only poses for Technoparc, but in Montreal’s efforts to avoid climate catastrophe.
This story looks into multiple issues effecting community members in Montreal. It involves the decision to go with private rather than public transit, at a time of growing inflation and cost of living, while climate catastrophe looms. It also involves a threat to an ecosystem in pursuit of providing faster transit, while the company involved in developing this transit pushes that this transit system is beneficial in offering a fast transit option that is not as polluting as a car.
Both conservationists of Technoparc and activists for free transit have concerns over the project. The impact of this story is that both of these issues are linked to a larger issue that of Montrealers needing more input into infrastructure development projects in Montreal – even private ones such as the REM.
In a response for our request for comment, the City of Montreal told Local 514 that they announced in its June 9 press release a major milestone for the protection of biodiversity by announcing the new delimitation of the Parc-Nature des Sources, stating that this would eventually establish the area comparable to that of the Parc du Mont -Royal as ecologically protected. This will include 219 hectares of protected land.
In addition, the City is in discussion with Hypertec. The content of these exchanges remains confidential for the moment and CUTV cannot comment on the information provided for the moment.
However, only 16 hectares of city property has been formally converted or acquired for the creation of this park.
Local 514 reached out to owners of the RÉM, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) multiple times over the last month, but we did not receive a response.
The REM claims to contribute to decreasing 100 thousand tonnes of Greenhouse gases a year.
But the development of the REM will generate greenhouse gasses before it opens to the public. The CDPQ is committing to plant 250,000 trees to compensate for the GHG emissions produced during construction.
The construction of the REM has resulted in the removal of trees. The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, the company that partially owns the REM, claims to replant trees or compensate for the loss of trees by planting new ones. But some say once the damage is done, it’s done.
Carly Ziter, a professor in the Department of Biology at Concordia University told Local 514 that while planting new trees is great, it takes decades for them to become mature trees – which are most impactful at absorbing CO2.
While environmental compensation is vital, the effects of it may not be seen for decades. While climate catastrophe looms, time is vital.
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LJI Impact is the section of commediaportal.ca where the journalists and their organizations participating in CACTUS' Local Journalism Initiative can share their greatest successes.
Through the written stories, photos and videos you see in the LJI Impact section, you'll be able to read first hand accounts about how the presence of a community journalist is making a difference in communities across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative and the Community Media Portal.
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The Community Media Portal has been funded by the Local Journalism Initiative (the LJI) of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) in association with the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (the Fédération). Under the LJI, over 100 journalists have been placed in underserved communities and asked to produce civic content that underpins Canadian democratic life.
