OCPM urges Montreal to reassess controversial container yard expansion before approving

CBC

14-03-2025

Montreal's public consultation commission is recommending the city postpone approving exemptions for a controversial container yard project slated for the city's east end and conduct a complete reassessment of the plan.
But the city says that's easier said than done.
The Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) was tasked with examining Ray-Mont Logistics' plan to turn 22,300 square metres of unused land into a transportation hub where goods will be sent via rail and road to the nearby Port of Montreal.
The company anticipates 300,000 containers will eventually be moving through the site each year, resulting in the passage of up to 1,000 trucks through the industrial site, 24 hours a day.
But to do that, some zoning changes are required. Initially, the city rejected the request to make those changes. The company sued for $373 million dollars, and ultimately settled out of court for $17 million and the condition that Montreal approve the zoning changes.
A public consultation was called, leading to the OCPM's report, published Thursday, but that's not enough to stall the project, according to Sophie Mauzerolle, who is responsible for transportation on Montreal's executive committee.
She said the city alone does not have the power to unilaterally suspend the out-of-court agreement. Suspension must be done in collaboration with Ray-Mont, she said.
"Our goal is to quickly sit down with the company and the various partners identified in the recommendations to address them for the benefit of the local residents," Mauzerolle said.
"Our goal is to close this chapter for lasting peace and quiet for the people of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve."
Group applauds OCPM's decision
A local group, calling itself Mobilisation 6600 Parc-Nature MHM, has been taking a stand against the project, organizing protests and voicing strong opposition to the expansion.
The group is accusing the company of destroying two wooded areas and causing the neighbourhood to suffer from daily noise. On its Facebook page, the community group celebrated the OCPM's recommendations, and praised its members for participating in the consultation.
"We're quite satisfied about the report," group member Cassandre Charbonneau-Jobin told CBC News. "It shows that our fight that has been going on for nine years is completely legitimate."
WATCH | Why Ray-Mont's project has hit roadblocks over the years:
Container yard expansion battle leaves Montreal at a crossroads
16 minutes ago
Duration 2:57
In 2022, Quebec's Environment Ministry, after a temporary stop-work order, gave the first phase of the project the green light with some conditions, like limitations on working hours and number of containers that can move through the site annually. Ray-Mont sued and the ministry is now reviewing that request.
"The modification request is being analyzed to ensure that such a change in operating hours will not result in noise emissions likely to harm human life, health, well-being or comfort," said Environment Ministry spokesperson Robert Maranda in an email.
Ray-Mont still needs regulatory exemptions approved
During the consultation, some organizations highlighted the positive economic benefits of the project, but the vast majority of participants, many of whom were local residents, voiced opposition to a project they say will impact their quality of life, the release says.
The OCPM concluded that a complete reassessment should be conducted with key players, including the Ministry of Transport and Canadian National Railway.
Taking this route is "the most advantageous for the city, citizens and the developer. It therefore invites stakeholders to sit down again and resume discussions," the OCPM says.
The commission also recommends developing a buffer zone to reduce nuisances and subjecting the project to Quebec's environmental assessment process. It recommends clarifying the monitoring and control responsibilities as well as improving stakeholder and community consultation.
Mauzerolle said her administration has always shared and loudly advocated for citizens' concerns about the nuisances caused by the project.
In a news release, Philippe Bourke, president of the OCPM, acknowledged that, from the outset, this has been a highly sensitive case.
In a later interview, he said the OCPM found a possible compromise between city and company. That compromise shows there "might be a place between the two sides where we could reopen the discussion," he said.
Mario Paul-Hus, a Montreal lawyer who specializes in municipal law, said the city will likely have to adopt the zoning regulation changes or risk another lawsuit.
Ray-Mont released a statement as well, saying it will analyze the OCPM's report and recommendations.
Since coming to the site in 2016, Ray-Mont has been rehabilitating the heavily contaminated industrial property at its own expense to bring its activities closer to the Port of Montreal by establishing an intermodal logistics platform, the company says.
"The platform has now been in operation since November 2022 and will ultimately enable the company to reduce its greenhouse gases by 82 per cent," it says.