Copper redhorse habitat: Environmental groups sue to stop Montreal port expansion
Posted February 9, 2026 10:53 am.
Last Updated February 9, 2026 11:12 am.
Legal proceedings were officially launched on Friday against the federal government for issuing a permit allowing the Port of Montreal to proceed with expansion work in the habitat of the copper redhorse, an endangered species.
The Society for Nature and Parks (SNAP Québec) and the Quebec Environmental Law Centre (CQDE) have officially filed a lawsuit in Federal Court against Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson.
The lawsuit alleges that this authorization is unreasonable and contrary to the provisions of the Species at Risk Act.
The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) wants to increase the port’s annual capacity by 60 per cent by expanding its terminal in Contrecœur.
This expansion work involves dredging the bottom of the St. Lawrence River in the distribution area of the copper redhorse, a threatened species.
The copper redhorse is found nowhere else on the planet except in a limited section of the St. Lawrence River and a few tributaries, such as the Richelieu River, where it reproduces.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
