Public Comment Period on Intent to Make a Determination
Naturalization of segment 4 of the wildlife development - Munitions Experimental Test Centre (METC), Nicolet

July 19, 2021 — The Department of National Defence must decide whether the proposed project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

To help inform this decision, the Department of National Defence is inviting comments from the public on the project and its potential effects on the environment. All comments received will be considered public. For more information, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.

Written comments must be submitted by August 7, 2021 to:
Lidia Capece, Assistant Environmental Officer
Mailing Address:  Building 7, local 129 - Postal Box 4000
Montreal, QC, Canada, H1N 1X9
E-mail:  lidia.capece@forces.gc.ca

The Proposed Project

The Department of National Defence (DND) has proposed a project which involves a wildlife facility which is located in the floodplain of Lake Saint-Pierre, on the property of the Munitions Experimental Test Centre (METC) in Nicolet. Segment 4 of the Baie-du-Febvre/ Nicolet-South (BDFNS) wildlife facility was built in the early 1990s by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). The work consisted of the construction of a conduit and pumping station to provide a staging area for waterfowl. In 2015, DUC in collaboration with the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP), re-evaluated the wildlife facilities located in Lake Saint-Pierre, including this site. Since the implementation of the wildlife facilities, it is clear that segment 4 does not meet the initial wildlife objectives due to the problems associated with intensive annual agricultural activities. In addition, in the spring, the bare soils lead to the export of nutrient- and pesticide-laden sediments to Lake Saint-Pierre. The project therefore consists of a complete naturalization of segment 4 in order to restore sustainable wildlife habitats on the territory. More specifically, the project consists of dismantling (naturalizing) the section owned by DND. The work will be complemented by the establishment of a permanent vegetation cover.