Green Coalition loses
battle in court but fights on
Permanent injunction against the destruction of the Technoparc Wetlands denied
Montréal, March 25, 2021
The Green Coalition has lost a four-year court battle to protect Technoparc’s unique wetland ecosystem in the St. Laurent borough. This ecosystem shelters the largest variety of bird species recorded on Montreal Island.
In its application for a permanent injunction, the Green Coalition asked the court to stop development, reverse the environmental damage already done, and conserve the area in perpetuity. But before the injunction was heard, thousands of trees were felled; a dike and a road were built that drained important marshes, causing a marked decline in the bird population.
The Green Coalition does not accept this destruction of our irreplaceable ecosystems and will not give up until the Government of Quebec starts protecting our environment.
In the February 2020 injunction hearing, renowned wildlife Biologist Rodger Titman told the Superior Court that: “This habitat is being severely fragmented and there are plans to fragment it further… We need to ensure that not even the smallest marsh is lost.”
The judgment on the permanent injunction was rendered on March 1, 2021, and the Green Coalition has lost. The Green Coalition respectfully disagrees with both the reasoning and the outcome but has decided not to appeal the case.
The Green Coalition is nonetheless aghast that Quebec environmental law, which purports to protect the environment and wetlands, in particular, can be used to turn this…
Petit marais Hubert-Reeves in 2015, before destruction – Image: Hubert Gendron
into this…
Petit marais Hubert Reeves on June 3, 2018 – Image: TechnoparcOiseaux
The Green Coalition does not accept this destruction of our irreplaceable ecosystems and will not give up until the Government of Quebec starts protecting our environment.
For more information contact:
Neil Whitehouse at nlapin@hotmail.com or 514 649-3787
David Fletcher at fletcherdavid@me.com or 514 502-5341
Feature image: Green Heron – courtesy of Westmount Parc United Church
Read other articles about the environment
The Green Coalition is a non-profit association of groups and individuals with a mandate to promote the conservation, protection and restoration of the environment and the wise use of green and blue spaces.
It is best to understand from the offset the difference between true conservation and political conservation. Simply put, true conservation is founded on three principles: preservation, protection and restoration of the natural environment. The purpose is twofold: to seek knowledge and preserve. In the case of political conservation, the principles remain but the format is often skewed by political and corporate interests. This is a particular configuration where conservation is manipulated to legitimize a desired end. (edited)
This is so sad. My faith in human beings has been sorely tested these past few years and this is another example of our stupidity.
This an environmental tragedy. A place of such importance in terms of biodiversity abandoned by those in power to the whims of developers! If we cant value an exceptional place like the Technoparc Wetlands we are lost!
This is heart-breaking. How pathetic that those with the power to save this treasure on the island of Montreal are not doing so! The wildlife loses and so do all of us who care deeply about wetlands and green spaces. I extend my condolences to all who tried so hard to protect this area and a heart-felt “thank you” as well, for their hard work.
Saving this precious piece of land was such a no brainer! Shame on those in a position to wade in but who chose not to! The powers that be talk a Green story but do precious little when the chips are down. Surely this was the right time and the right place! I cry for those coming behind. What will they inherit from their elders? It seems we have opted to leave a wasteland!