Environment

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Almost two weeks after the remnants of Hurricane Debby dumped more than 150 millimetres of rain on much of the Valley, those affected by flooding are still cleaning up and coping with the aftermath.

Many homes were damaged after excess surface water proved to be too much for municipal systems to handle. This was especially the case in Huntingdon, where Mayor André Brunette was forced to declare a state of emergency and call in reinforcements from neighbouring fire departments in Hinchinbrooke and Godmanchester.

“It was chaotic,” says Brunette, whose basement, like many others throughout the town, was filled with over a foot of water in some places.

“The calls were coming in one after the other,” he says of the 911 calls that were being transferred to the Huntingdon fire department. In all, there were 57 registered calls, and the mayor estimates another 30 residents went directly to the fire station to request help pumping flood water from their homes.

“We are very grateful and thankful for all three fire departments,” he says, noting volunteer firefighters worked through the night to help secure homes.

According to different calculations, Huntingdon received between 136 and 156 mm of rain throughout the day. One report notes the weather station in Saint-Anicet registered around 56 mm of rain between 5 and 6 p.m.

“There is no system in the world that can absorb and take that in all at once,” says Brunette. “All our pumping stations were functional. Nothing broke down, and nothing stopped. When the electricity went off, we had power packs and generators that kicked in right away,” he insists. “The system worked ok; it was just overwhelmed.”

Brunette reports that an apartment building on Bouchette Street was evacuated, after electricity to the building was cut due to flood waters in the basement that were nearing the main terminal boxes. The Huntingdon Legion was opened as a temporary shelter, but no residents required this service.

Brunette suggests that like other municipalities, the town will likely advance a scheduled large item pick-up to help residents dispose of damaged property.

Special collections have already taken place in other hard-hit municipalities, including Saint-Anicet, Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, and Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, while other municipalities secured dumpsters for residents to use.

Saint-Anicet’s mayor, Gino Moretti, says the fire department there received one call for help. He says this reflects work that has been done to emphasize the importance of preparation and planning to manage risks such as flooding. The municipality, which has an emergency measures plan, was careful to communicate with citizens throughout the weekend.

“I went to see the damage on the ground the day after Debby hit. I saw flooded farmland, evacuated homes, and resilient people ready to help each other,” says Huntingdon MNA Carole Mallette, whose office was in communication with affected municipalities during and after the flooding.

She notes that losses from flooding caused by overflowing waterways during heavy rains are eligible for the Programme général d’assistance financière lors de sinistre (PGAF). The Ministère de la Sécurité publique has also enlarged the program to now cover homes damaged by sewer water infiltration as well.

More information on eligibility requirements and admissible expenses can be found online at Quebec.ca.

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec (CPTAQ) has reversed its preliminary orientation concerning the installation of an asphalt plant in the Carrières Ducharme quarry on Covey Hill in Havelock.

The initial assessment issued last September suggested the commission would allow the installation of the factory for a period of five years, with conditions. Following this, a request for the CPTAQ to reassess its orientation was submitted, and at least 33 individuals, groups, and organizations presented their observations either in writing or in person during a virtual meeting on May 18.

Among those presenting their opposition to Groupe Chenail Inc.’s application to install the factory was the Fédération de l’UPA de la Montérégie, which argued that the region’s water resources could be affected, and that discharge from the plant could impact CanadaGAP certification for agricultural producers.

The non-profit conservation organization Ambioterra further outlined the potential impacts of asphalt production on Covey Hill, citing the potential for fires, as well as groundwater contamination and air pollution. The organization also noted the risk to neighbouring maple syrup producers and market gardeners who could see their products contaminated by emissions from the plant.

The municipality of Havelock and the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent, as well as several agricultural producers and concerned citizens, also presented their observations. Most argued that an asphalt plant was contrary to agricultural development, agritourism, and the homogeneity of the farming community, and that the precautionary principle should be applied in this case.

Those arguing in favour of the factory pointed out that such a facility would need authorization from the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP), and must comply with emission standards for particulate matter in the atmosphere. Representatives for Groupe Chenail Inc. insisted the project will not impact the region and its agricultural activities any more than the existing quarry.

A notice of modification issued on July 5 concedes that the commission did not have all the facts that were subsequently brought to its attention when the preliminary orientation was drafted. The notice, which is signed by CPTAQ vice presidents Hélène Lupien and Gilles P. Bonneau, further states that “The representations heard during the meeting have led the commission to modify its assessment, and consequently to refuse the request.”

Citing article 12 and Section 62 of the Act respecting the preservation of agricultural land and agricultural activities, which allows for the consideration of regional characteristics in the preservation and promotion of agricultural enterprises and activities, the commission asserts that the addition of an asphalt factory would be detrimental to such practices.

The commission points out that “Authorization could lead to a loss of visitors and a reduction in production in a regional context where agricultural properties have had to adapt to the environment, and where farmers have managed to do well by developing local agriculture and agritourism.”

The notice also highlights consequences to the homogeneity of the farming community, as the factory would lead to increased traffic on Covey Hill Road.

A ten-day period for those interested in presenting new observations relating to the modified orientation expired on July 15, and the case has now been suspended to allow the CPTAQ to review any new facts brought forward before rendering a final decision.

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The provincial government is investing over $83,000 in the municipalities of Howick, Saint-Anicet, and Sainte-Barbe for the purchase of residential organic waste collection equipment.

The MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville and the MRC de Beauharnois-Salaberry will also benefit from significant funding through the Programme de traitement des matières organiques par biométhanisation et compostage (PTMOBC), which is part of Quebec’s Stratégie de valorisation de la matière organique (SVMO).

A section of the PTMOBC program was designed to provide financial support to municipalities, Aboriginal communities, and the private sector for the acquisition of collection equipment to recover organic matter through composting or biomethanization. To date, the government has provided financial backing for 82 projects, bringing the total contribution to nearly $13.3 million.

The municipality of Saint-Anicet received $40,403 to help provide 1,800 organic waste or compost collection bins to residents. The financing covers almost half of the projected cost of $88,494. The municipality of Howick will receive up to $17,654 to acquire 354 bins. The municipality of Sainte-Barbe will now be able to offer residential organic waste collection to 959 households throughout its territory, thanks to an investment of $25,045.

The MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville will receive $77,048 towards the acquisition of 11,366 bins, of which the total cost is estimated at $395,186. A funding request by the MRC de Beauharnois-Salaberry was approved for $575,241; this will go towards the purchase of 23,635 bins at an estimated total cost of $2,047,300.

When combined, this new equipment will allow for the collection of an estimated 13,888 tonnes of organic material or compost per year, which includes 578 tonnes between the three municipalities in the Haut-Saint-Laurent.

“Today, we know that reducing greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites is an effective way of combatting climate change,” said Benoit Charette, minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks. In a press release issued by the government confirming the investment in Sainte-Barbe, the minister noted the positive impact of municipal compost programs, and the keen interest expressed by many Quebecers to be helping to find solutions to environmental issues.

Organic waste accounts for around 55 per cent of the 5.8 million tonnes of residual materials disposed of each year in Quebec. The waste sector, which produces some 4.55 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, is the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the province. The government has set an objective of providing collection services for organic matter across the province by 2025.

“This project is another fine example of the commitment of local people to protecting the environment and playing an active part in the fight against climate change in Quebec,” said Huntingdon MNA Carole Mallette, in reference to the initiative in Sainte-Barbe.

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a challenge we must all take up together, for our own good and that of future generations,” she added.

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Organizations and citizens in the Haut-Saint-Laurent have come together to form a new round table focused specifically on protecting and prioritizing the environment.

“There was a need,” says Rémi Pelletier, the director general of the Corporation de développement Communautaire (CDC) du Haut-Saint-Laurent, which is one of the organizations spearheading the creation of the Table de concertation pour l’environnement dans le Haut-Saint-Laurent (TCEHSL). A first meeting took place last June in Huntingdon, and regular meetings have followed.

The organizations around the table include the CDC du Haut-Saint-Laurent, the conservation group Ambioterra, the Mouvement d’action régionale en environnement (MARE), the 1st Ormstown Scouts, the Ormstown Butterflyway Project, the Haut-Saint-Laurent syndicate of the Union des producteurs agricoles, the Société de conservation et d’aménagement des bassins versants de la zone Châteauguay (SCABRIC), the Association pour la défense des droits sociaux (AADS) de Huntingdon, the Comité Zip Haut-Saint-Laurent, the ecological group Crivert, the Genie in a Bottle project, the Comité de rehabilitation de la Rivière Châteauguay, as well as citizens Don Rosenbaum and Lorelei Muller. The Amis de la Réserve nationale de faune du Lac-Saint-François and the Nature Conservancy of Canada are also associated with the initiative.

Pelletier says that while the TCEHSL already brings together a significant number of local groups and associations, there is always room around the table for organizations or citizens interested in joining the growing movement.

The impetus to organize a formal round table was sparked during last year’s Earth Day Forum in Ormstown. Organizer Lorelei Muller says she had often wondered whether such a table existed in the region. When she began to ask questions, it became obvious others had been thinking along the same lines. Pelletier collected names and contact info during the Forum last April and later called a first meeting. Alain Gaulin, who represents the MARE at the table, has volunteered to chair the new group.

The members of the TCEHSL hope that a unified voice in defense of the environment will resonate more strongly with political players so they begin to integrate environmental protection more broadly into their priorities. The group’s objectives will focus on serving as a watchdog for laws that are not being applied or that need to be developed, while collaborating with different levels of government to amend or pass regulations and bills aimed at improving environmental protection. The round table also aims to set priorities in terms of responding to threats to water quality, habitat loss, deforestation, etc.

Muller suggests that while different organizations had been collaborating on certain initiatives, the round table has helped to tear down some of these silos and has strengthened partnerships between members. She now chairs the events sub-committee, which is responsible for organizing the area’s Earth Day activities including a one-day forum set to take place this year on April 20 at Chateauguay Valley Regional High School.

She says momentum has continued to build from last year’s successful event which brought together over 20 regional environmental groups and social organizations. She confirms that most organizations that have been approached about participating in this year’s event have shown interest and registrations are starting to come in. 

Along with kiosks promoting the activities of the different organizations, the forum will once again feature a series of guest speakers including Hemmingford-based architect and passive house specialist Evelyne Bouchard, who will address the role of buildings in climate change. Stephanie Leduc of Nature Conservancy Canada, who is a member of the TCEHSL, will also be presenting on local conservation efforts with a focus on agricultural land. The presentations will conclude with a screening of the documentary film Humus, which focuses on regenerative farming practices in use at the Ferme les Bontés de la Vallée market garden in Havelock.