Sinkholes and drying wetlands cause of concern during REM light rail construction project
It has now been confirmed that REM light-rail construction is to blame for two sinkholes opening up in a wetland near the Pierre Trudeau International Airport in Montreal.
Environmentalists were surprised to find that the St-Laurent Technoparc had partially dried up, but the REM says it's not because of the sinkholes.
The company said the tunnel boring machine hit some soft clay while digging under the wetlands on its way to the airport, which caused the land to cave in essentially causing two sinkholes that appeared during the summer.
However, both the company and the Quebec Environment Ministry, who also investigated the situation, said the drying up of Herons' Marsh is not related to sinkholes.
REM director of communicaitons said the drying up of the marsh was caused by unseasonably dry weather, pointing to Environment Canada trends over the past decade.
In May, the area around the airport got four millimetres of rain compared to the average of 72.
The wetlands dried up in 2012 and 2016.
Environmentalist David Fletcher, however, doesn't buy the argument.
“It’s not a convincing argument," he said. "It has been very dry this summer admittedly, we acknowledge that, but it’s not a coincidence with the appearance of sinkholes that water went out. There still needs to be accountability.”
Fletcher has been going to the wetlands for over a decade and said this year, it didn't just dry up; it drained within a week.
REM workers have filled the sinkholes with soil and is replacing any affected plant life.
It is also filling the marsh with water.
Fletcher will be keeping a close eye on the area hoping the company takes more responsibility.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.