Allison Hanes: Why the heck would we build a factory in the Monarch field?

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Shortly after Steven Guilbeault was appointed Canada’s new minister of the environment, took the kind of quick action many would expect from a former activist who now exercises authority to protect precious biodiversity.

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Using his new ministerial powers, he issued an emergency decree to stop work on a road connection project in Longueuil that was destroying one of the last remaining habitats of the endangered western chorus frog. His swift intervention, as a court order obtained by local environmental groups was about to expire, stoked hopes that perhaps, finally, this country has taken a turn in terms of prioritizing development over ecology as it the planet is heating up and weather disasters hit home.

But hopes were short-lived. Guilbeault has refused to approve a similar order to prevent the destruction of the so-called Monarch Field next to the Technoparc wetlands in an industrial park in St-Laurent. The property of Aéroports de Montréal, a federal agency, is planned to be used to build a medical mask factory. The federal government is pledging $ 29 million for the project, which was announced amid much fanfare last summer and awaits final approvals.

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The reprimand has stunned environmental groups Green Coalition and Technoparc Oiseaux. They have vowed to keep fighting to preserve the last contiguous ecosystem of its size on the island of Montreal.

The area of ​​swamps, grasslands, forests and wetlands is larger than Mount Royal. Covering a mosaic of properties owned by various interests, including the city, the federal government, the ADM, and the private sector, it is home to more than 200 species of migratory birds. And the tall grass field that was abandoned by Golf Dorval several years ago has now become a haven for monarch butterflies, who spend their summers in Canada.

Why on earth would we build the Medicom mask production plant right in the middle of this vibrant ecosystem? The only reasons are laziness, complacency, and a lack of imagination.

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The ADM owns the land and could surely use the rent to lease it to the N95 mask maker. Medicom seeks to make a significant investment to locally manufacture important medical equipment. And that?

There is no shortage of abandoned industrial lots in other parts of the city that would be more appropriate. Not that this is the last developable property in the area. The St-Laurent district has other wastelands in its sprawling industrial parks that do not turn out to be the summer home of an incredible creature that, despite its ability to fly 5,000 kilometers to its wintering grounds in Mexico, faces an uncertain future. because of habitat loss.

We have to get out of the mindset that undeveloped land has no value. In fact, untouched nature is invaluable. Trees, plants, grasses, and shrubs in the area cool the air in a high-emissions corridor. It provides a foothold for species large and small, winged and legged, which have unlikely to have carved out dominance among inhospitable tracks, highways, and an upcoming electrified light rail line. (The construction of a tunnel for the REM appeared to have drained part of the wetlands during the summer, further endangering the area and showing how sensitive it is to invasion.)

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Guilbeault should know better than anyone that he can no longer function as usual. The balance must be tilted more towards protecting the environment rather than tilting so much in favor of economic imperatives. But in this case, it is not a proposal of one or the other. We can build the Medicom plant and save the monarchs. With a modicum of common sense and smart thinking, it can be beneficial to everyone.

Just days before he issued the emergency order to save the frogs and weeks before he didn’t do the same for the monarchs, Guilbeault was on the world stage at COP26 highlighting how biodiversity loss and climate change are inextricably linked. He promised that at least 20 percent of a $ 5.3 billion climate finance fund that Canada has amassed would go towards nature preservation.

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“We need to work together to conserve and protect the world’s great intact biodiversity and carbon-rich areas: the Boreal Peatlands, Amazon, Congo Basin and Southeast Asia,” read a copy of Guilbeault’s speech at the conference. “If we don’t protect them, biodiversity will not be protected, and neither will our climate.”

Canada is laudably committed to conserving 30% of its lands and oceans from exploitation by 2030.

Why not start close to home saving the Monarch field?

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