Montreal Port Expansion Project in Contrecœur
Montreal, February 9th, 2026 – The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (SNAP Québec) and the Quebec Environmental Law Center (CQDE) are officially filing a lawsuit in Federal Court against the Minister of Fisheries. On January 5th, 2026, Fisheries and Oceans Canada issued a permit under the Species at Risk Act and the Fisheries Act authorizing the Montreal Port Authority to destroy a portion of the copper redhorse’s protected critical habitat, thereby giving final approval to the Port of Montreal expansion project in Contrecœur.
“This authorization is unreasonable and contrary to the provisions of the Species at Risk Act,” asserts Anne-Julie Asselin, a lawyer with Trudel Johnston & Lespérance, who will represent SNAP Québec and the CQDE on this case.
The copper redhorse is a fish species unique to Quebec and it is currently endangered. Its global range is extremely limited, being confined to the section of the St. Lawrence River between Lake Saint-Louis and Lake Saint-Pierre, as well as a few of its tributaries. The latest report from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) notes observed and inferred continuing declines in range, habitat quality, and number of mature individuals.
“The precautionary principle and scientific knowledge must continue to guide the implementation of the Species at Risk Act.. It is on this basis, and with its survival hanging in the balance, that the copper redhorse’s final act in Federal Court will unfold,” declares Alain Branchaud, Biologist and Executive Director of SNAP Québec. “As host of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal, Quebec, and Canada appear in this case and before the rest of the world as the poorly shod shoemaker when it comes to biodiversity,” adds Mr. Branchaud.
“Protecting the copper redhorse is not just a moral issue: it is also a legal obligation. We believe that the law has not been respected; the conditions for granting a permit under the Species at Risk Act have not been met, and it has not been demonstrated that all reasonable alternatives have been considered,” concludes Geneviève Paul, Executive Director of the CQDE.
Through this appeal, the CQDE and SNAP Québec aim not only to protect the copper redhorse, but also to prevent the public from having to bear yet another costly failure, both economically and environmentally. Neither the project proponent nor the federal government has demonstrated that all reasonable alternatives to the Contrecœur expansion project have been considered, including a cooperative approach to optimizing Canada’s existing port infrastructure.
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Illustration : Yannick Brosseau
