Montréal, April 2, 2026 – The Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement (CQDE) takes note of the March 20 ruling regarding the Public Register of Environmental Information, which has been enacted in the 2017 reform of the Environment Quality Act. but has yet to be created. In its decision, the Superior Court of Québec does not order the government to create it within a specific timeframe at this stage, but it confirms that the courts can make decisions on such questions of government inaction; therefore, the CQDE may return to the courts on this issue in the future.
An essential tool for democracy and the environment
The Public Register of Environmental Information, enacted by the National Assembly in 2017, aims to provide simple and rapid access to essential data on the environmental impacts of projects. This tool will enable citizens, communities, organizations, the media, and municipalities to better understand and monitor environmental issues.
“The absence of this register is a democratic failure. Citizens have the right to know so they can act,” explains Geneviève Paul, Executive Director of the CQDE. “How can we protect our territory if we don’t know what pressures are weighing on it?”
“It’s the only provision of the 2017 reform of the Environment Quality Act that hasn’t been implemented! Yet we know that access to information is essential for informed public participation. Without such a register, information remains difficult to access and is often obtained late, too often too late. The public has the right and needs to know what is happening in their communities,” adds Geneviève Paul.
In the Northvolt case, even without a BAPE process, the register would have provided instant access to environmental information regarding the project.Instead, the public and the media were forced to file numerous requests for access to information – and even legal recourses – to shed full light on this project and its approval process.
Years of government inaction
Despite repeated reminders from the CQDE and numerous civil society actors, the government has not prioritized the creation of this register. An access to information request and the court process confirm that the register is not scheduled to go online in the coming years, even though it is a major component of the 2017 reform of the EQA and the only section that has not come into effect.
“With the provincial elections approaching, we call on all parties to publicly commit to upholding the law and to adopt an order in council for the prompt online publication of the register,” concludes Geneviève Paul.
The CQDE reaffirms that rapid access to information is an integral part of the right to information and that it is an essential condition for ensuring effective protection of our environment.
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