Environment Committee on Nov. 17th, 2025

[Julie Gascon]

In terms of the number of grass-beds that exist right now in the St. Lawrence, where the copper redhorse eats, there are 30,000 hectares. The project will intervene and impact 2.34 hectares total. That's 2.34 hectares out of the 30,000 hectares that exist in the St. Lawrence River, which is the habitat where the copper redhorse feeds, not the habitat where the copper redhorse reproduces, which is in the Richelieu River.

[Shannon Miedema, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Will the new habitat, the compensated new habitat, be created before the dredging begins? I don't know if this question is best for Ms. Brady.

[Julie Gascon]

I can answer that question as well. All of the compensation work will be done ahead of the project. The intent is that we will be putting 3.24 hectares of grass-bed in an area called l'Île aux Boeufs, which is a little bit north, in the same corridor but a little bit north of Contrecoeur. It's great, because the compensation work that we're doing is achieving two things.

These little islands are also impacted by shore erosion. We will be building kind of a wall, like a digue, as we say in French, that will slowly impact a little bit the flow of the current, giving good chances for the grass-bed to grow. We will also do a lot of cleanup, because there are sunken docks and a whole bunch of debris there. We'll be doing a lot of cleanup around those islands and giving those islands a chance as well. Within 10 years, the grass-bed that we will have planted.... It's a bit like when you do your garden: You plant with enough distance so that the plants can grow. We'll have double within six years, and it will have tripled within 15 years to almost 12.64 hectares, I think.

[Shannon Miedema, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

Excellent.

Can you tell me how this newly created habitat is going to be monitored? What would happen if the monitoring shows that the habitat isn't functioning as intended?

[Julie Gascon]

As part of our compensation work in the 387 conditions that we have, we have a lot of follow-up programs. These are programs that allow us to look at everything from the trees that we are planting to the habitat for the starlings, the habitat for the frogs and the grass-beds for the copper redhorse. We had to follow up, and we have to make sure that they take hold. The great thing about dealing with the Port of Montreal is that it's 200 years old. We are a federal institution, and if something were to happen, we would continue to support and help to ensure that the grass-bed holds well.

We do have experience. We created a 27.7-hectare fish habitat around the Îles de Boucherville. We probably are, within the country, a really strong, knowledgeable entity on the copper redhorse. Just to put it in perspective rapidly, by the time we're done building Contrecoeur, the Port of Montreal will have invested $17 million in the compensation plan for the copper redhorse.

I mentioned before in my response that this is the feeding area. The grass-bed has these little crustaceans that stay there, and it's a big feeding area for them where they go. It's a fish that lives about 35 years. It spawns in the Richelieu River and in the Chambly Basin. I would just remind everyone that where this little fish spawns and lives the first two years of his life before going to the feeding habitat in the St. Lawrence, and then comes back year after year for 35 years in the Richelieu, there is no speed limit in the Chambly Basin, yet they spawn normally in the height of summer. That's where most of the pleasure craft are operating, of course.

We are also working with the producers, the agricultural community, as well, because that's also when they put the fertilizer in, and there are a lot of chemicals. We've worked with them to reduce the number of chemicals going in. With our $17 million, we're building the biggest fridge and the biggest food area for them, as much as we can, but we'll need to work in collaboration to address where it spawns, because I think we need to look at this little fish in its entirety. It's been at risk for 20 years, well before the port. We'll need to work in collaboration with others to support this species.

[Shannon Miedema, Liberal, Halifax, NS]

I'll stop there.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Angelo Iacono]

Thank you, Ms. Gascon.

Mr. Bonin, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank the witnesses for joining us.

My question is for the officials from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.

When we look at the situation, we basically see two technical issues. First, the notice of intent or public notice for the compensation plan has disappeared. Second, there was no alert to inform the public about this consultation.

Do you consider this consultation exemplary and conducive to public participation?

[Bram Sepers, Executive Director, Communications, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada]

I can answer that question.

For the initial notice, it was posted on April 29, for a period of just over 30 days, to May 30.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Given the technical issues, do you consider this approach exemplary?

[Bram Sepers]

Okay. I'm sorry—I would defer to the port authority on their consultation.

[Julie Gascon]

The Port of Montreal has strictly adhered to its legal and regulatory obligations.

Regarding the alert, I asked all my employees to register, because it must be done. Furthermore, the alerts were successfully issued.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Is this an exemplary process?

I would like a response from the agency. Do you consider the process exemplary, given the lack of an alert and the change in the content of the notice?

[Patricia Brady]

I started by saying that the agency's role in federal lands authority is limited, so we don't conduct audits of whether they're meeting their obligations.

In this case, though, the notice of intent was, in fact, posted. That's the only requirement in the act, so it was done. I believe the port undertook other consultation activities and public hearings, which the port could comment on. That would have added to and amplified the public consultation notice that was put on our registry.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Okay.

Did you receive any feedback during your consultation?

[Julien Baudry, Chief of Staff and Vice-President, Communications and External Affairs, Montreal Port Authority]

Thank you for your question.

Regarding the exemplary nature of our measures, as noted, we fulfilled the obligations. We also went above and beyond the requirements for public events.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Have you received any feedback?

[Julien Baudry]

Yes.

During open house events, we had—

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Open houses aren't consultations. By law, consultations must be carried out online and in public. Again, open houses aren't consultations.

Did you receive any feedback during the consultations?

[Julien Baudry]

We haven't received any verbal or written feedback.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

You didn't receive any feedback during your consultation. When did your consultation start and when did it end?

[Julien Baudry]

Our consultation lasted the required amount of time, from April 29 until the 30‑day deadline. There was also an extension period, since we didn't make a decision until October 9.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

So you had two consultation periods. Is that right?

[Julien Baudry]

We posted a notice that complied with the 30‑day legal requirement. At the end of that period, we continued to engage with the public and answer questions, including at public events broadcast on the radio, in the media and in an open manner.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

These events aren't consultations.

That's why you referred to August 29 when providing information to the Bloc Québécois. It wasn't your consultation, was it?