On July 6, 2013, a freight train carrying 72 tank cars of crude oil, which was parked at the top of the hill in Nantes, Québec, started to roll and derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Québec, causing several tank cars to explode, leading to 47 fatalities.
On May 11, 2018, the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of Québec announced funding for a 12.5 km rail bypass project bypassing downtown Lac-Mégantic.
The new track will travel through the municipalities of Frontenac, Lac-Mégantic and Nantes between milepost 113.27 of the Moosehead subdivision and milepost 3.49 of the Sherbrooke subdivision.
To move ahead with the project, an application for authorization for the construction of the project must be submitted to the Canadian Transportation Agency, in accordance with section 98 of the Canada Transportation Act. Transport Canada and the railway operator are currently preparing the necessary documentation to submit the application to the Canadian Transportation Agency for the bypass project.
Transport Canada held a public consultation from November 18 to December 27, 2024, to gather public comments on three environmental reports that are relevant to the Environmental Effects Evaluation:
- the Groundwater and Potable Water Mell Monitoring Plan
- the Wetlands Monitoring Plan
- the updated Hydrogeological Report
The Evaluation identifies and evaluates the project’s potential environmental impacts. It also proposes ways to limit or reduce these impacts. This document is the rail operator’s responsibility.
On this page
- About the Evaluation
- Predicted effects and associated mitigation measures
- Examples of certain impacts assessed in the Evaluation
About the Evaluation
This Environmental Effects Evaluation report combines various studies, some of which have previously been consulted with citizens. This updated version, produced by the rail operator, lists and describes all the potential environmental impacts of the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass.
The Evaluation is based on result of past public consultations and expert reports such as the:
- 2017 and 2019 process of the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement du Québec, following which Transport Canada agreed to implement numerous mitigation measures and compensation measures to minimize the project's impact on the community and the environment
- 2022 consultation on the initial hydrogeological study, following which additional mitigation measures were added
- 2024 consultation on three environmental reports (Groundwater and Potable Water Well Monitoring Plan, Wetlands Monitoring Plan, updated Hydrogeological Report)
The report first describes the environment (such as study area, biophysical components, soils and groundwater, hydrology and surface water quality, fauna and flora). It then describes the environmental effects and how these were measured. Finally, it presents the updated mitigation measures to reduce the project’s potential negative effects on the environment and its residual impact on the environment once the measures have been applied. This is a critical part of the Canadian Transportation Agency application.
Summary:
Under the Canada Transportation Act, there must be an environmental effects evaluation for the railway bypass.
The report on the environmental effects evaluation has 6 main sections.
Project description: An overview of the project, its justification and its key stages. It includes the construction methodology and refers to the proposed operating plan.
Project alternatives: This section presents the main alternative routes examined while planning the project. It provides an overview of how the alternatives were evaluated, briefly describes the alternative routes and compares these routes. It then presents the chosen route.
Stakeholder engagement: This section provides information on the stakeholder consultations conducted to date. Transport Canada is responsible for engaging with local communities and First Nations.
Description of the existing environment: This section presents the main elements of the environment in which the proposed bypass will be built. This description is based on site surveys and a review of the documentation and data publicly available when the report was produced. This includes the study area and the biophysical components (such as climate, air quality, noise and vibration, soil, groundwater and surface water, aquatic and terrestrial fauna, vegetation and wetlands, species at risk and species of interest for First Nations). The description also includes social components like the socioeconomic aspects and demographic prospects, municipal zoning, current and planned land use, traditional land use, infrastructure (including the road and rail network), drinking water supply and wastewater treatment, and archaeological elements.
Environmental effects and mitigation measures: This section presents the assessment of the anticipated effects associated with the construction and operation of the project, as well as the proposed mitigation measures. It presents the way the effects were determined and assessed. It also evaluates the effects on the environmental components.
Environmental Management Plan: This section presents the environmental management plan for the project. The plan’s details will be clarified when the detailed engineering of the project is completed, and the conditions of the permit and authorization applications are known.
The Evaluation explains the details of the construction of the future railway line and the planned civil engineering structures, such as level crossings and surface water management infrastructure. It describes the social and physical components of the environment in which the bypass will be built. This includes the types of natural environments and near the study area, as well as the current and ancestral use of the territory.
The Evaluation determines how the construction and operation of a project will impact its environment. This makes it possible to recommend mitigation measures adapted to the project before, during and after construction. These measures may modify the project components to eliminate or reduce its negative effects, or to compensate for its unavoidable effects. There are a significant number of mitigation measures planned for the project, including installing noise barriers along the railway right of way and financial compensation for the loss of wetlands.
Predicted effects and associated mitigation measures
The Environmental Effects Evaluation was conducted to evaluate the potential effects of the project on the biophysical and social components of the environment. The residual effects range from low to moderate for a number of categories. With the application and implementation of all project commitments and mitigation measures, the residual negative effects are considered insignificant. The characteristics and source of each effect are identified along with the applicable mitigation measures. Transport Canada and the railway operator share responsibility for the implementation of mitigation measures.
Examples of certain impacts assessed in the Evaluation:
Groundwater and surface water: The Evaluation identifies the anticipated impacts on groundwater within the study area (the temporary or permanent effects on both its quantity and quality). For the surface water, it looks at the characteristics of the waterways and bodies of water affected (like location, flow and water level) and the properties of the water that flows through them (like temperature, oxygenation and suspended matter).
Terrestrial and aquatic fauna: The Evaluation lists the project's impacts on the survival, reproduction and habitat of wildlife species with status in Canada under the Species at Risk Act. It also identifies effects on fish habitats, such as the flow and level of the water in watercourses habitable for fish. The analysis also includes the potential effects on wildlife species of interest for the First Nations.
Wooded and wetland areas: The Evaluation describes the effects of the project on vegetation and wetlands in and near the right of way.
Soil, air quality, noise and vibration: This section focuses on the effects on soil in the work areas as well as air quality. The Evaluation also considers potential noise and vibrations felt by residents during and post construction.
Archeology, land use and other socioeconomic effects: This section focuses on socioeconomic effects related to the project, including with respect to road traffic, and considers archaeological resources.
Request a copy
Receive a copy by email:
Environmental Effects Evaluation - Volume I
Environmental Effects Evaluation - Volume II
Printed versions of the Evaluation are available in both official languages at the city halls of Frontenac and Nantes. For Lac-Mégantic, the copies will be available at the Nelly-Arcan Media Library located at 3700 Lemieux Street, Lac-Mégantic, Quebec G6B 1S7.