As part of the 2017 and 2019 process of the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement du Québec (BAPE), Transport Canada agreed to implement numerous mitigation measures [PDF, 638 KB] and compensation measures to minimize the project's impact on the community and environment. Other measures were added following a hydrogeological study.
These measures will help protect drinking water wells, wetlands, soils, soundscapes, wildlife, vegetation, agricultural and forest lands, and infrastructure. They will only be implemented if the Canadian Transportation Agency approves the project and may evolve as the project progresses.
Transport Canada is committed to protecting the community's water supply and ensuring that citizens have safe drinking water throughout the bypass' construction. Transport Canada is taking several steps to meet this goal, including supporting the municipalities of Frontenac, Lac-Mégantic and Nantes to create a well monitoring program.
The project's impact on the community and environment will be mitigated by:
- Protecting drinking water: A program to monitor drinking water wells will help ensure that the community has the same quantity and quality of water during and after construction until the water table stabilizes.
- Monitoring wetlands: Studying the surface area of wetlands will help determine how much the Government of Canada will need to contribute to the Fonds de protection de l'environnement et du domaine hydrique de l'État to compensate for the project's potential effects on wetlands.
- Monitoring fauna and flora: Transport Canada will inventory plants and animals to identify species that are culturally valuable to First Nations. These inventories will also help identify how to minimize the project's impacts on the species that live along the bypass route.
- Monitoring reforestation: The reforestation and compensation monitoring plans describe the requirements for tree planting, including the number and species of trees, to compensate for the deforestation during construction.
- Studying the Chaudière River: Studies are underway to determine how to minimize the project's impact on the plants and animals in and around the Chaudière River. This could include controlling erosion and sediment around the site to limit the impact to the river.
- Managing noise: Transport Canada will install noise barriers to reduce the sound from passing trains to meet Health Canada's guidelines on acceptable noise levels.
- Monitoring vibrations: Some excavation work will involve blasting, which will generate some vibrations. Buildings in at-risk areas will be inspected before blasting operations begin.
- Keeping the public informed: Citizens can submit comments on the bypass construction to Transport Canada by calling 819-237-9475 or by sending an email to TC.InfoLacMegantic.TC@tc.gc.ca. A Transport Canada representative will review comments received and follow up as soon as possible.
- Consulting Indigenous Peoples: Throughout the project, Transport Canada consulting local First Nations to ensure their ancestral rights are respected and address their concerns.
- Supporting local jobs: Transport Canada wants to support the local economy by promoting job opportunities for the people of the Lac-Mégantic region, local businesses, and Indigenous communities. Transport Canada is collecting information from individuals and companies that have shown interest and will share it with the railway operator and the contractor responsible for the work.
Related links
- Discussion guide for the Public Consultation on Hydrology and Measures to Mitigate the Potential Impacts of the Lac-Mégantic Rail Bypass Project.
- Environmental impact study and complete file of the provincial environmental assessment of the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (in French only)
- Federal Public Consultation – 2021
- Commission de la protection des terres agricoles du Québec – 2020 (in French only)