Barricade dismantled at Ray-Mont container yard in Montreal

Protesters blocked access to the Ray-Mont Logistics container yard in the borough of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve on Thursday morning.

The container yard, located on the north side of Notre-Dame Street East, has been under scrutiny since 2017 due to its close proximity (100 metres) to a residential area and the Boisé Steinberg green space.

The protesters set up barricades in front of the access point at 6:30 a.m., and Montreal police (SPVM) showed up shortly before 7 a.m.

They began dismantling the site after 8 a.m. with bolt cutters.

Members of Les soulèvements du fleuve and activist group Mobilisation 6600 marched through the area with a banner before officers arrived.

In 2017, the City of Montreal shot down a construction permit request for the container yard.

However, in 2018, Quebec’s Superior Court sided with Ray-Mont and found that the company was allowed to build on the site. It was later upheld by the Court of Appeal.

Ray-Mont then sued the city for $343 million and settled for $17 million.

Public consultations are scheduled for Nov. 12.