Environment committee  Good afternoon. I would like to thank the committee for inviting us today. I am a biologist by training. I started working with the Conseil régional de l'environnement in the summer. My mandate requires me to study the wetlands of Laval. I have discovered that there is a very ri

Environment committee  The greenbelt movement in the greater Montreal area was launched last week. It brings together a number of environmental organizations, including the David Suzuki Foundation. The objective of a greenbelt is to ensure a minimum level of protection around the City of Montreal by m

Environment committee  Yes, I wrote it.

Environment committee  Yes.

Environment committee  I will continue in French, if I may. If I've understood correctly, your question has to do with new wetlands. They are sometimes created naturally and often allow for water to be absorbed naturally. These areas are like sponges. But when we fill in a wetland—

Environment committee  No, it is only caused by urban sprawl.

Environment committee  Yes, absolutely. For every wetland that needs to be filled in, authorization must be obtained from the Quebec Ministry of the Environment. Currently, the majority of the authorization requests are approved. So there might be a problem with this legislation.

Environment committee  Good morning, everyone. The perspective of the Conseil régional de l'environnement de Laval is mainly regional and local, but the purpose of our presentation today is to show you that, in spite of the big federal and provincial machine, when it comes down to actual situations at

Environment committee  In short, it is a very logical scale. Action should be taken on this scale. That would make it possible to work in several types of wetlands with different and complementary functions. Peat bogs, marshes and swamps are examples of that. Some wetlands are also said to be isolated

Environment committee  You talk about habitat banking and thus about doing a kind of land exchange. The problem is that people often work at a regional level. For example, can further wetland losses in Laval right now be compensated for? I do not even know whether there are still any available wetlands

Environment committee  You have to understand one thing. In Laval, for example, we have not yet reached the point where we have to compensate. We have reached the point where there is a shortage. We have to make gains. So we have to restore wetlands, acquire lands and restore flood plains. The situatio

Environment committee  I would like to add to that answer. In Laval in particular, although I think this situation can be extrapolated to other urban areas, the area is often divided into agricultural zones and zones where development is permitted. In agricultural zones, perhaps you can grow cranberr

Environment committee  You must also understand that the Rivière des Mille Îles is part of the Ottawa River, which is a major tributary of the St. Lawrence River corridor. Virtually everyone draws water from that part. This is quite serious. As we speak, luxury condos are being built in the middle of

Environment committee  Definitely. You talked about ecological infrastructure. I believe that expression will become increasingly important when it comes to development. You asked me what my opinion would be if I had to choose between a concrete water treatment plant that channels my watercourses and

Environment committee  I agree with Ms. Blais. I often come back to the subject, but I would add that wetlands alone are fine, but wetlands are connected to streams and land environments. We are conducting studies, but we have reached the point where we have to take action. We have to try to consolidat