Case study: Longueuil 2030, a sustainable vision protecting 21% of its territory in perpetuity
Longueuil receives an award for its strategic approach to protecting, restoring and ensuring access to natural environments
ASSET MANAGEMENT
Winner of an FCM Sustainable Communities Award 2024 in the natural assets category
An additional 1,500 hectares of protected natural areas by 2030
Summary
As part of its socio-ecological transition, Ville de Longueuil adopted its plan for protecting and preserving natural areas (PPCMN) in 2023. It aims to expand its protected natural areas by 1,500 hectares to reach 21% of its territory by 2030. The objective of the project is to increase Longueuil’s resilience to climate change and offer its citizens greater access to green spaces. The project won a 2024 Sustainable Communities Award in the natural assets category from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Background
Located in Quebec, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in the Montérégie, Longueuil has a population of over 267,000. It is known for the diversity of its natural areas: the St. Lawrence River and its islands, its large nature parks, its numerous urban parks and green spaces, its waterways and watersheds. These sites are rich in biodiversity and provide a habitat for numerous species, including the Western chorus frog.
The challenge
The Ville de Longueuil’s PPCMN addresses the following challenges:
Environmental:
To increase its resilience to the effects of climate change, it plans to:
- multiply “cool islands” and increase access to nature
- improve biodiversity by protecting species and habitats
- reduce GHGs
- improve air and water quality
- boost resilience to heat waves and heavy rains
Economic:
To reconcile the development of its territory with the protection of its natural environments, Longueuil intends to:
- stagger investments of $5 million a year to restore and develop natural environments
- tap into other forms of revenue to finance its actions, including federal funds through Nature-Action Québec and the Montreal Metropolitan Community’s green and blue infrastructure program
- develop innovative ways of financing the actions included in the plan, including through eco-taxes
Social:
By giving its residents greater access to natural environments, Longueuil intends to:
- break people’s isolation
- reduce stress and improve health
- mitigate the impacts of climate change on people, including those who are vulnerable
- create wealth for the community
The approach
Driven by a strong political will, Longueuil is implementing its plan for protecting and preserving natural areas using a three-tier governance structure.
- The Municipal Council monitors progress and provides direction.
- The general manager ensures that actions carried out by the various departments are coherent.
- Technical committees implement actions according to the following topics:
- conservation and acquisition
- regulatory redesign
- communications
- urban infrastructure and water management
In addition, the Ville de Longueuil’s environmental advisory committee, whose members are elected officials and citizens, provides input at several stages during the plan’s development and implementation.
The municipality also shares its conservation objectives and guidelines with neighbouring municipalities (Brossard, Boucherville, Saint-Lambert and Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville) to expand the scope of its actions.
This inclusive and innovative approach involves regional stakeholders in a common project that benefits the environment and mobilizes the entire population.
“As local governments, municipalities are on the front lines of the effects of the climate crisis. They also have a responsibility to act and to make forward-looking decisions. Protecting 1,500 hectares of natural habitat to conserve 21% of the land is the greatest legacy we can leave to future generations.”
- Catherine Fournier, Mayor of the City of Longueuil
Longueuil is also a member of Réseau Environnement’s Biodiversity Excellence Program, through which it shares its knowledge and numerous biodiversity protection indicators with nearly 20 municipal organizations.
Lastly, Longueuil has geomatics data and tools available to track the progress of the plan in real time. It has put a feedback loop in place to incorporate the updating of scientific data as it becomes available.
Results
The teams are making progress on the various measures in the PPCMN, with an important first milestone coming up in 2025. They are currently drafting the first annual review.
The PPCMN has already produced a number of significant benefits by:
- Stimulating local and regional stakeholders to get behind common policy directions and objectives.
- Providing a common thread for municipal actions aimed at protecting the natural environment, including planning exercises, policies and strategies for Longueuil’s ecological transition.
- Ensuring visibility by anticipating and planning development, so everyone to knows what to expect.
- Taking concrete action, since the municipality already acquired 2.9 hectares of additional natural habitat in the spring of 2024. They are located in a woodlot for which the municipality wants to obtain the status of wildlife sanctuary. They represent an investment of more than $2 million, 70% of which comes from the Montreal Metropolitan Community and the Government of Quebec.
Next steps
With the PPCMN in its first year, a committee made up of members from more than seven municipal departments are implementing the next steps, including:
- updating bylaws
- informing stakeholders
- evaluating selected conservation strategies
A number of indicators used in the decision-making process inform these next steps. In the coming months, Longueuil will develop a dashboard so that its residents can track the PPCMN’s progress.
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