Saint-Laurent borough council calling for trees cut down for REM to be replaced

Part of Saint-Laurent used to have hundreds of trees. But many have been cut down. Why? To help build the province’s new light-rail network, the REM.

Now the Saint-Laurent borough council is demanding that CDPQ Infra – the group responsible for the REM – offer fair compensation for the 14-thousand trees they removed because they are currently offering to replace just 960 within the borough.

“You have a new station being built, but to contrast that with what is actually there, this is what it used to look like before. And so clearly that the evidence is stark. The offer is laughable and clearly the Caisse has to do better,” explained Alan DeSousa, Saint-Laurent borough Mayor.

“Through the course of the building of this site, there were literally hundreds, if not thousands of trees that were taken down. We understand that there was to be compensation and we have asked the Caisse at the time and even recently to be able to say that whatever trees were cut down in the community requires replacement.”

DeSousa also wants the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec Infra – also referred to as CDPQ Infra – to replace the 14-thousand trees that were removed, saying Saint-Laurent is an industrial community with some of the lowest tree canopy cover in the city.

“We have tried very hard over the years to increase the trees, increase the canopy cover and protect biodiversity. Our progress is very slow, just simply because of the challenges we have, including the ash borer beetle which ravages. The Caisse’s decision sets us back at least 4 to 5 years in which the efforts that have been made are having a negative impact on the progress that we are trying to make,” explained DeSousa.

In a written response to CityNews, CDPQ Infra did not address the specific number of trees they will be replaced within the Saint-Laurent borough.

“Generally, REM’s environmental approach is founded on best practices: avoid, minimize, compensate. In addition to the adjustments made to the route during the planning phase, we do whatever it takes to minimize consequences or take concrete measures to compensate for the work’s impact on the environment,” read the statement.

“Once in service, REM will contribute to decreasing 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year or the equivalent of 30,000 fewer cars on the road in 24 hours.”

CDPQ Infra stated that “250,000 trees that will be planted, once construction work is completed.” Noting it will “compensate for the GHG emissions produced during the construction phase.”

Despite this they could not confirm where these trees would be planted.

“I think the Caisse has to be careful not to go too far either in terms of public relations and greenwashing in suggesting that they’re going to be planting 250,000 elsewhere in Quebec,” said DeSousa. “Where we’re the communities that were affected are being short shrifted. So clearly, we want the Caisse to recognize what they did in our community and we want them to ante up.”