BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1510 West
For 201 Saturdays, Pointe Claire resident Geneviève Lussier and a group of supporters have convened on the sidewalk that traces the limit of Fairview Forest with one goal in their sights – save every inch of the treed area from development.
After all these weeks – just short of four years of protests – the question of whether the Save Fairview Forest group is closer to its goal all depends on how you measure the advancement.
“We are not celebrating,” Lussier said in an interview with The 1510 West, referring to the group’s 200th milestone protest held Sept. 14. “The forest is not saved. But we’re celebrating our resiliency.”
The 43-acre woodland just west of the Fairview Pointe Claire shopping centre is owned by Cadillac Fairview, which still plans to develop a large multi-phased residential project in the area. But the land is currently under the protection of two temporary development freezes – one by the city of Pointe Claire and another by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.
“We are going to keep pushing for this as long as we have to,” Lussier added, explaining that her group recognizes that persuading all stakeholders to get on board will take time.
The forest is the last unprotected wooded area in Pointe Claire, a city that only has 9 per cent of its territory designated as protected green space or parks, Lussier claims.
“Pointe Claire has a responsibility to do better,” she said.
The weekly protests since November 2022 have helped raise public awareness for the push to save the woods from development among residents, but it still has not translated into support from the city. Although, she acknowledges that Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas and councillor Bruno Tremblay have publicly stated they endorse saving the entire forest.
Yet, calls to hold public consultations to gauge the level of public support for saving the forest among residents of Pointe Claire have so far gone unanswered.
In June, more than a year since the city launched its public consultation process following the adoption of a development freeze in key areas in the municipality, including the forest, to allow the public to weigh in on how development should take shape, Lussier put the question directly to elected officials. The answer she received was far from clear. And, three months later, no consultation touching on the fate of the forest – what many have come to recognize as one of the biggest development issues in the municipality – has yet been scheduled.
“It’s a glaring omission in our consultation process,” said Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas in an interview yesterday, explaining the city’s administration shied away from the topic due to a lawsuit against the city filed by Cadillac Fairview.
Earlier in the spring, criticism of the consultation process in Pointe Claire flared when residents openly questioned why key issues, including the forest and the parking lot surrounding the Fairview Pointe Claire shopping centre where Cadillac Fairview has proposed building a 20-storey seniors complex and two 25-storey apartment buildings, have not been raised in the consultations to gauge residents’ views on these topics.
And last fall, several outraged citizens demanded to know who had imposed what they called a “gag order” on discussing the future of the forest during a consultation meeting that had been touted to deal with environmental issues.
“Green spaces and the height (of buildings) are two of the most important issues and, ironically, neither have been sufficiently broached,” Thomas said, referring to the consultations.
Lussier says despite the city of Pointe Claire’s development freeze, there is no clear indication what the city’s new development plan will included.
As for the CMM’s development freeze, it has allowed the regional authority time todraw up an urban plan. The preliminary draft of that plan identifies wetlands within the forest and proposes to impose a 30-metre buffer around them, restricting development in those zones. This would effectively leave about half the forest intact, Lussier said.
“This is just one layer of protection,” she explained.
Lussier also points to the provincial government’s Bill 39, which gives municipalities the ability to ensure the protection of natural environments without fear of being sued by owners for what has been labelled “disguised expropriation.”
“I am hopeful changes will be made,” Lussier said. “We know that it’s the right thing to do,” she added, referring to saving the forest.
Cutline:
Members of a the environmental group Mères au Front lent their support to Save Fairview Forest as the group marked its 200th weekly demonstration Sept. 14.
Credit:
Courtesy Geneviève Lussier