Environmentalists say they've found second sinkhole linked to REM construction
You wouldn’t know it from the name, but one of the last green spaces on the Island of Montreal is a little pocket of land in St. Laurent, between highways 40 and 20.
The Technoparc is home to wildlife that has no sanctuary anywhere else, say many bird watchers and environmentalists.
They’re upset, then, that for the second time in about a month, they’ve discovered a sinkhole in the Technoparc grounds. Last time, wetlands were drained after a sinkhole was discovered.
That’s really bad news for the birds that call the land home, said Katherine Collin of Technoparc Oiseaux.
“Within these 215 hectares we have 208 different species of birds,” she explained.
Draining and disturbing the land is a major setback, she said.
“It’s a very rich environment that draws it strength from the diversity of its ecosystems. And to cut into any one part of it is to damage the whole of this sector,” she said.
The cuprit for the disturbances? The birders say they theorize it’s the construction for Montreal’s new light-rail system. Underground digging for the REM has taken place in the area.
But last month, REM officials said it wasn’t clear if their tunnel-boring machine did cause the problem. They said they were looking into it.
They haven’t yet responded to requests for comment about the second apparent hole.
Collin said her group simply hopes that any issues that have arisen can, in the end, be fixed, for the sake of the thousands of creatures that call it home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise's disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.