The development of Montreal's New Transit System Comes with an Ecological Cost

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.

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 we 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.

What do you think of the development in Technoparc? Are you concerned about climate catastrophe? Let us know below in the comments.