(Laval) In the middle of the election campaign, Laval residents are asking politicians for concrete measures to protect one of the last natural environments in their city, two-thirds of which had been targeted as a “wetland of interest” by the City of Laval in 2020 .
Posted yesterday at 7:23 p.m.
The Barbe Creek Woodland Protection Committee will vote on Wednesday evening before Liberal MP Yves Robillard, the provincial candidates from Laval and municipal councillors. “We want to force the deputies to make things happen,” says Diane Labelle, director of the Committee, who collected nearly 3,000 signatures in a petition denouncing the development project.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS Located at the intersection of highways 13 and 440, the natural environment of Ruisseau Barbe extends over an area of 31 hectares and is home to a forest, a maple grove and swamps of considerable ecological value. 
We demand a reform of the Expropriation Act and some Environmental Quality Act to provide cities with better tools for protecting their natural environments, indicates the Committee in a letter sent to political parties, consulted by The Press.
The Committee is also asking for financial support from the governments to enable Ville de Laval to acquire the targeted lots in order to ensure the protection of the forest.
Located at the intersection of highways 13 and 440, the natural environment of the Barbe stream covers an area of 31 hectares and is home to a forest, a maple grove and swamps with considerable ecological value, explains Alexandre Choquet, project manager at the Conseil regional environment of Laval.
The development project could lead to the almost total loss of the forest, he underlines. This is a “huge” loss of habitat for the fauna and flora of an “important island of freshness” in the city, according to him.
It should be noted that the MELCC granted a backfilling permit in 2021 to the owner of the land, who wishes to build two industrial buildings and expand a residential sector. However, the Department requires compensation from the promoter of more than 4 million to rebuild the equivalent of the lost biodiversity.
In 2022, it’s incredible that the government of Quebec gives its approval to destroy with compensation the last green spaces in Laval. You cannot restore forests in two years. It takes years for the trees to mature.
Jonathan Tremblay, spokesperson for the Environmental Citizen Mobilization Coalition of Laval
Especially since “there is no place to rebuild wetlands in Laval,” adds Diane Labelle.
Backfilling has begun, but no building permit has yet been granted to the developer. “As soon as they start backfilling, it’s over for our wooded area. And this, even if there is no building permit”, underlines Diane Labelle.
The City of Laval had added the Barbe stream natural environment to its wetland protection plan under the interim control by-law (RIC). However, as the promoter made a request to the Ministry before the adoption of the RIC, the decision rests with Quebec, explains Stéphane Boyer, mayor of Laval. “Otherwise, the City would expose itself to significant legal penalties,” he said.
The MELCC acknowledged receipt of the email from The Press without following up.