Mayor Alan DeSousa

Montreal buys massive West Island site to preserve wetlands

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The Plante administration has decided to buy land from the technology firm Hypertec, located near Trudeau Airport, for over $30 million. As a result, wetlands and urban forests at the Technoparc in St. Laurent will be preserved and the boundaries of the Sources Nature Park will be expanded.

“Thanks to the pressure from Ensemble Montréal and the St. Laurent team, the lands of the Sources Nature Park will be protected,” St.Laurent Mayor Alan DeSousa stated. Mayor Valérie Plante told a press conference that “thanks to an important collaboration with the Hypertec company, the City of Montreal will acquire and protect the equivalent of 15 soccer fields in the Parc-nature des Sources.”

As reported by The Suburban‘s Dan Laxer last year, DeSousa had pressed the Plante administration, through a series of amendments he presented to Montreal city council, to commit to its promise to expand the boundary of the nature park.

Hypertec had announced at the time that, as a result of public pressure, it would sell the land to the city for the price it originally paid. DeSousa, in 2023, described the proposal as “elegant” as the alternative site Hypertec was seeking for its facility was in a part of the Technoparc located in St. Laurent. The Mayor, last year, also praised the company for its plans for a green building.

The conservation group Technoparc Oiseau rejoiced at the news and congratulated the city.

“This action – the result of citizen, scientific and union mobilization – constitutes a major victory for conservation,” the organization stated. “Today marks a remarkable step towards the near future where the entirety of the Sources Nature Park, including all remaining federal and private lands, will be fully protected and restored, for the benefit of all. We would like to emphasize that this collaborative work must continue to protect the rich biodiversity of this site. We particularly encourage the Canadian federal government to become more involved in protecting this space. Indeed, while we applaud the recent listing of the monarch butterfly as an endangered species, we would like to point out that the most effective way to preserve this species is to protect its habitats, including the Monarch Field.” n

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St. Laurent council passes bylaw to reduce light pollution

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

St. Laurent council passed a bylaw — a first for Montreal —at its Oct. 1 council meeting to reduce light pollution on some categories of private property, to enable residents to see a “starrier sky” at night.

A borough statement points out that the measure is aimed at “industrial, commercial and institutional establishments” and the goal is to “better protect the territory’s ecosystems and biodiversity, increase road safety, promote public health and improve energy efficiency.”

Mayor Alan DeSousa said, with some humour, that “this is an initiative that goes to the heart of sustainable development, since it not only protects biodiversity, but also increases road safety and improves the health and quality of life of St. Laurent residents and workers on our territory. I dare say that our administration is very bright and that council is making enlightened decisions!”

The borough statement explains that light pollution “refers to the excessive or inappropriate use of artificial light. Light pollution is particularly prevalent in St. Laurent, since 70 percent of its territory is devoted to industrial and commercial activities and it is situated next to the Montréal-Trudeau international airport and several highways, including the CN rail yard.”

The explanation adds that light pollution can affect quality of life and the environment.

“Already known for its impact on the night sky, it also has harmful effects on biodiversity and ecosystems, by altering the interactions between plants and pollinators or between prey and predators, hindering foraging, reproduction or migration. The glare it generates also has a negative impact on the safety of pedestrians and motorists. In addition, light pollution wastes energy and therefore increases the production of greenhouse gases. Last but not least, it poses a risk to human health by upsetting the body’s biological clock.”

The new bylaw “aims to control and limit light pollution on private property, without compromising the safety and comfort provided by lighting and taking into account the specific characteristics of the territory.

“It covers four areas of intervention: colour, orientation, period and quantity of light, according to the following principles: Define situations that allow the use of bluish light. Direct light flows towards the ground. Reduce certain lighting devices after 11 p.m. Set maximum light levels according to land use.”

The categories of buildings affected are “industrial, commercial and service buildings; multi-family dwellings, multi-family service dwellings and multi-bedroom dwellings, “with provisions applicable to building lighting, outdoor parking spaces, signs and billboards.

“Light flows must be directed towards the ground and the colour of light sources must be limited. In addition, aside from certain exceptions, lighting intensity must be reduced between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Similarly, curtains are required for greenhouses on industrial roofs with lighting systems.”

There are exemptions to the bylaw, including single-family and two-family homes and multiplexes “and certain types of equipment, such as light fixtures with motion detectors, or temporary outdoor lighting for special activities: outdoor shows, festivities organized by the borough, construction areas or other temporary work projects. Other exemptions are established for outdoor lighting related to public safety or for enhancing a heritage building.” n

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