'The party is over': Ottawa to crack down on destruction of endangered species' habitats

In this May 2, 2012 file photo, a mature burrowing owl and three young chicks sit at the entrance to their nest in Brian Piccalo Park in Pembroke Pines, Fla. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter, File)

Ottawa has a warning for Canada's provinces and municipalities: there will be no more tolerance for the destruction of habitats containing endangered species.

In the lead-up to the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in December, hosted in Montreal, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said many actors display a "lack of sensitivity" regarding the habitats of at-risk animals.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Guilbeault said federal interventions -- such as that which halted the construction of a street in Longueuil, Que. to protect the endangered chorus frog -- will recur until the message is understood.

'THE PARTY IS OVER'

"We've used the law on endangered species, in some cases, to put the brakes on development projects. I don't think we're going to need to do it all the time. I think when we've done it enough times, people will understand that the party is over," Guilbeault said.

He believes the government will always have the freedom to intervene when required.

"The courts have backed us on this. We are, from a legal point of view, on very solid ground, and when we have done it a couple of times, people will understand."

In November 2021, Ottawa adopted an emergency decree to slow down the extension of a street in Longueuil, on Montreal's South Shore.

The work had been carried out with the consent of Quebec's Environment Ministry, despite disproval from the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks.

The City of Longueuil was subsequently obliged to carry out emergency work to preserve one of the last habitats of the small amphibian.

COPPER REDHORSE: THE REAL TEST

The minister's intention will be tested sooner rather than later, as the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) intends to expand the Contrecoeur terminal, downstream from Montreal on the St. Lawrence River.

The expansion endangers the survival of another endangered species: the copper redhorse.

The fish exists nowhere else in the world but Quebec, in the area between Lake St. Louis and Lake St. Pierre, and particularly in the estuary of the Richelieu River.

For Alain Branchaud, biologist and executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society's Quebec branch (SNAP Quebec), the Montreal Port Authority's request is the ultimate test of Guilbeault's will.

"It would not be serious, especially with the COP15 coming up, to go and send a message that we will destroy the most endangered species, the endemic species that is the standard bearer of biodiversity protection in Quebec," he said.

"We need to let actions follow words," he added, saying his organization and others are prepared to go to court to block the permit.

The copper redhorse is protected under the Species at Risk Act.

While the MPA claims it will establish grass beds in other areas, many independent experts were skeptical that such a measure would work.

Effectiveness can only be demonstrated after the fact -- and if it's not effective, it will be too late.  

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Oct. 31, 2022.