Green space for protection near Trudeau Airport
In a few weeks, the eyes of the whole world will turn to Montreal, which will host the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15). The hopes are high for this great meeting of the international community. While the warning signs of biodiversity collapse are red everywhere in the world, it is no longer a time for rhetoric, but for action. Strong gestures are needed to quickly reverse direction.
Posted at 1:00 PM.
In this context of urgent action, the Government of Canada has the opportunity to make a significant difference by ensuring that the land it owns near Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport is protected and by collaborating with the community to define the vision and future embodiment of this large green space.
The land in question has been the subject of special interest for several years now. In 2021, an industrial development project in the northern part reminded us that although the industrial profession is currently green, the industrial profession predominates in the planning documents of the Aéroports de Montréal, the organization responsible for its management. Last summer, it was mowing a field of milkweed that raised concerns and re-lighted the sector’s future.
Urban consensus
Montreal organizations (Green Alliance, Technoparc Oiseaux, CRE-Montréal) are intensifying their efforts to ensure the protection of green spaces located near the Parc-Nature des Sources project. They have been joined in recent weeks by the Municipalities of the Island of Montreal, while some of the 15 boroughs and related cities, as well as the Montreal Cluster Board, have made decisions calling for the cooperation of the Government of Canada to preserve and protect federal lands. . Recently, the Montreal Metropolitan Society added Golf Dorval to its temporary bylaws of oversight regarding sectors that can be converted into green spaces or a natural environment.
In short, the enthusiasm is greater than ever, both locally and metropolitan.
Nature as the main solution
This mobilization takes place as scientific reports multiply about the urgent need to increase the resilience of our living environments, reminding each time the essential role of nature and green infrastructure in adapting to climate change.
Over the past few weeks, several studies have been conducted (Intact Center on Climate Adaptation 1Federation of Quebec Municipalities2) Highlight the cost of inaction for municipalities when it comes to adaptation. This cost is often much higher than the cost of concrete measures, in particular the installation of green and blue infrastructures and many ecosystem services: water purification, air and soil pollution, soil permeability improvement, urban heat island reduction.
The Great Park project is a great opportunity to create a diverse environment consisting of integrated ecosystems and to enhance the ecological connection between natural environments and green spaces, and is the only solution to enhance resilience and biodiversity in highly fragmented environments.
Make the dream come true
The Government of Canada affirms in its official documents its desire to create new urban parks and improve access to nature for all residents. The pandemic has highlighted the lack of access to nature in urban areas, but also the positive impact of regular contact with nature on mental health. The upcoming launch of REM de l’Ouest will provide a quick and easy link by public transport to the nature center of more than 100 hectares. This will improve access to nature for a large number of workers in adjacent business sectors, for all residents of the metropolitan area and for tourists visiting Montreal.
As we can see, such a perfect alignment is rarely observed in the metropolitan area in terms of protecting the green spaces of such a region. It is up to the Government of Canada, in collaboration with various stakeholders, to make this dream a reality and thus demonstrate its leadership in favor of biodiversity in the urban environment and in adaptation to climate change.
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