Residents protest container yard expansion near homes in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve

Residents in Montreal's Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhood blocked access to a container yard on Thursday morning, protesting Ray-Mont Logistics' plans to expand its operations close to their homes.

“We are never going to accept its presence in our neighbourhood,” said the protest’s spokesperson, Anais Houde.

The company is planning to build the container shipment yard on Notre Dame Street East, roughly one hundred metres from a residential area.

Residents said they are worried about the potential increase in truck traffic, lower-air quality, and noise pollution.

“There's going to be vermin that will be attracted because [they are] going to be handling cereals and grains,” said resident Josée Desmeules.

The fight has been going on for years. In 2017, the City of Montreal turned down a permit-request from the company, but the following year a Quebec court sided with Ray-Mont Logistics and allowed the building.

The company now wants to extend its operation hours.

For Desmeules the idea of having a container yard so close to her home does not sit well.

“We have no access to the shores because they're all occupied by the containers of the Port of Montreal that settled in our borough over the last 50 years,” she added.

In a statement Ray-Mont Logistics told CTV News the company has been operating in full compliance with the regulations.

"Our long-term goal is to relocate our operations closer to the Port of Montreal. This move will enable us to reduce trucking distances by 88 per cent, cut the emissions by 82 per cent, and decrease heavy truck traffic on Notre Dame by one-third.”

Because the city lost in court, there's little it can do to do to stop this project. The court ordered the city to approve required zoning changes.

And even though the public consultations office will soon start hearing from opponents,

It's unlikely that will change anything.

“It's difficult to thinking about it. I prefer to continue to fight,” Desmeules said.

Roughly an hour after the barricade went up police dismantled it, but the protesters said they won't give up the fight to save their neighborhood.