Notice of determination - Diversifying service offerings and increasing the capacity of the DG Canest Transit inc. terminal

 

October 7th, 2024 – The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) and Transport Canada (TC) have determined that the proposed project Diversifying service offerings and increasing the capacity of the DG Canest Transit inc. terminal is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

This determination was based on the following factors:

• The impacts on the rights of Indigenous peoples
• Indigenous knowledge
• Community knowledge;
• Comments received from the public; and;
• Technically and economically feasible mitigation measures.

 

Mitigation measures taken into account for this determination are:

 

Topography and Surface Drainage

• Properly manage rainwater to prevent infiltration beneath the planned structures, for example, through pumping.

 

Soil Quality, Surface Water, and Groundwater

• Keep the construction site free from waste and debris and temporarily store these items in leakproof containersdesigned for this purpose, promoting recycling;
• Dispose of waste and debris in accordance with applicable regulations;
• Use drip bins under stationary equipment and equipment that may leak oil or need to be replenished periodically(generators, excavators, etc.). Drip bins must have sufficient capacity to contain any potential spill;
• Refuel equipment and machinery more than 15 m away from any catch basin or manhole grates, onimpermeable surfaces dedicated to this purpose;
• Keep the machinery, equipment and trucks used during the works in perfect condition and free from petroleumproduct leaks or any other liquid leaks that could pollute the environment;
• Replace or repair the defective machinery and vehicles as soon as possible;
• Have emergency response kits (absorbent products, sealed bags, plugs, gloves, etc.) always available near thework areas and machinery refuelling areas to contain any spills;
• Develop an emergency plan that includes the names of the people and authorities to be contacted, as well as themeasures to be implemented in the event of a spill;
• In the event of an oil spill or any other harmful substances, all necessary means must be taken to stop the leakand contain the spilled product. Recover the product and restore the affected area. Notify the authorities withoutdelay;
• In the event of a spill in the soil, ensure that the area is cleaned, contaminated soil is removed and disposed of atan authorized location. Ensure that a characterization of soil is carried out;
• Manage contaminated soils in compliance with current regulations;
• Monitor and control the origin and quality of soils used for backfilling;
• Manage excavated soil to be disposed off-site, in accordance with current regulations to ensure appropriate protection of the surrounding natural environments, both terrestrial and aquatic;
• Stack contaminated soil at least 15 m away from catch basins and manhole grates, on impermeable membranes or surfaces, and cover them with impermeable membranes;
• Install watertight sediment barriers surrounding areas where soils of uncertain quality are stacked and maintain the sediment barriers in good condition during the works;
• Recover, store, and if necessary, filter, settle, or treat water generated by construction activities (e.g., concrete mixer wash water, curing water, excavation dewatering water) or use any other approved method to comply with current discharge standards;
• Install devices to capture runoff water that accumulates in excavations and implement a characterization program. Dispose of the water in accordance with current regulations;
• Cover manhole grates with a geotextile, where fine particles are likely to infiltrate.

 

Operation Phase

• Implement the environmental emergency plan measures of the Administration of Port of Montreal (APM) in the event of accidental spills.

 

Air Quality

• Ensure the exhaust system of all vehicles or equipment used is in good condition to prevent the emission of additional air pollutants; and
• Limit trucking and eliminate idling of vehicles at a standstill whenever possible;

• Ensure workers are trained and understand practices to minimize dust;
• Thoroughly maintain paved trucking roads and, if necessary, use appropriate dust suppressants on unpaved roads;
• Limit the speed of heavy vehicles on-site to minimize dust uplift;
• Ensure that the exhaust system of all vehicles or equipment used is in good condition to prevent the emission of additional air pollutants;
• Comply with municipal regulations for the transport of granular materials. For example, using authorized routes only;
• Limit trucking and eliminate idling of vehicles at a standstill whenever possible;
• Apply dust control measures (preferably water) if necessary, during demolition activities, on bare surfaces, and on piles of materials containing fine particles to prevent or reduce dust dispersion;
• Avoid operations that may generate dust during high winds;
• Implement APM's dust complaint process.

 

Operation Phase

Install air intakes on the new conveyors from the existing dust collectors, which have the capacity to capture additional dust.

 

Avifauna and Species of Special Concern

• Schedule work that may disturb birds outside the bird nesting period (mid-April to late August), as much as possible;
• For activities that may disturb birds and cannot be carried out outside the nesting period, a biologist must check for the presence of nests on the site before starting the work;
• Inform the APM representative of the presence or absence of nests before starting the works;
• If active nests are present, wait until the chicks have left the nests before proceeding with any work that may disturb the birds or destroy the nests.

 

Port Activities and Existing Infrastructure

• Coordinate the works with various users to ensure that the required areas for road traffic diversion are available during the working period;
• Plan the sequence of demolition and construction works based on the use of infrastructure and its users, especially during CanEst's low production period, from April to August;
• Maintain the necessary spaces for Port facilities and activities.

 

Soundscape

• Inform the population in sensitive areas of potentially noisy work periods in advance;
• Prohibit night-time work (7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. from Monday to Friday) and prohibit work on Saturdays, between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., including material delivery, and cease all noisy operations on Sundays and holidays;
• Limit access to the construction site through the entrances at 3550 and 3700 Notre-Dame Street East using Port of Montreal Street;
• Prohibit impacts from the rear panel of dump trucks or require dump trucks to be equipped with shock absorbers to reduce banging noise;
• Prohibit idling of stationary or mobile machinery for longer than 5 minutes;
• Implement APM's noise complaint process;
• During the construction period, install a continuous automatic noise measurement station to detect exceedances of noise thresholds.

 

Operation Phase

• Avoid container handling activities at night;
• Require all mobile equipment to be equipped with broadband backup alarms (white noise);
• If possible, optimize the stacking of empty containers to reduce noise to sensitive areas;
• Prohibit the idling of stationary or mobile machinery for a period of more than 5 minutes;
• Schedule the automatic interruption of fixed noise sources after 10:00 p.m.;
• Implement a monitoring program after the commissioning of the new loading bays to verify the actual noise levels emitted at the peak of operation in sensitive areas, including the evaluation of corrective measures.

 

The authorities are satisfied that the carrying out of the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

Therefore, the authorities may carry out the project, exercise any power, perform any duty or function, or provide financial assistance to enable the project to be carried out in whole or in part.