Panel on the Integrated Management of the St. Lawrence
Since the Forum on the St. Lawrence is a place for discussion and dialogue on issues relating to the St. Lawrence River, a panel of stakeholders was created, consisting of representatives from community, municipal, industrial, academic and government sectors. The discussion began with three questions, which each stakeholder answered in a brief presentation. These questions were: What is your sector's long-term vision for the St. Lawrence? How is the role of integrated management viewed within your sector? How are players from your sector contributing to the integrated management of the St. Lawrence? A short debate followed, led by Hélène Raymond and guided by questions from the audience, allowing the panelists to elaborate on their vision of integrated management.
Chantal Rouleau is the mayor of Montréal's Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles borough. As an active member of the community and boards of directors of various organizations, Ms. Rouleau has an interest in environmental and land use issues, particularly in eastern Montréal. She has spent seven years working in the water sector, developing the Montréal banks and improving access to the River for the area's residents. From 2002 to 2008, she headed the Jacques-Cartier ZIP (priority intervention zone) Committee in eastern Montréal. She was also Vice-chair of Stratégies Saint-Laurent and took part in efforts to implement the integrated management of the St. Lawrence (IMSL). Since 2010, Chantal Rouleau has been Vice-chair of the City of Montréal's Standing Committee on Water, the Environment, Sustainable Development and Major Parks.
During her presentation, Ms. Rouleau transported herself into the year 2026, where she saw a clean river suitable for swimming in every part of Quebec, including Greater Montréal. This river would be an equally shared public space accessible to all, where uses of the waterway would abound and where the navigable Route bleue trails would become a favourite playground for Quebecers. This great river would also continue to be an economic driver, contributing to the development of riverside cities.
According to Ms. Rouleau, the municipal sector's vision of integrated management involves adopting an approach based on expertise in various fields, including: education and research, which help establish and monitor the health of the St. Lawrence, target risks and develop solutions; non-government organizations, which help actively improve the state of the St. Lawrence through their field knowledge, coordination of concrete actions, concertation with various stakeholders and awareness efforts; and business people, including major industries, who also take part in the development through the creation of wealth, the establishment of harmonious relationships and the development of resources, as well as through the provision of services such as recreational tourism and transportation for people and goods.
Ms. Rouleau believes that the municipal community also has a place in the IMSL. Its contribution involves setting and complying with effluent standards and enforcing regulations that limit the harmful effect of cities on the River. Municipalities also contribute in the proper maintenance of infrastructure, such as the elimination of cross connections or non-compliant septic tanks, and in the creation of master development plans, as the land manager, to foster the development of banks with a focus on accessibility, optimal use and ecoresponsibility.
Ms. Rouleau concluded with the following words: "I went into politics with the intention of helping to restore and protect the St. Lawrence River, thus making it more accessible to Montrealers." This is clear evidence of her interest in improving the River's health.
Nicole Trépanier has been the President of the St. Lawrence Economic Development Council (SODES) since 2009, prior to which she held the position of Executive Director of the St. Lawrence Shipoperators from 1998 to 2009. At the same time, she was also the management co-chair of the Comité sectoriel de main-d’oeuvre de l’industrie maritime (CSMOIM) since its creation in 2001 until 2008. In addition, Ms. Trépanier played a key role in implementing the Shortsea Shipping Roundtable, the Table sectorielle de l’industrie maritime (now known as CSMOIM) and Québec Marine Day.
The mandate of SODES is to gather in a forum setting where stakeholders can discuss, collaborate and take action, and where the activities have an impact on the economy of the St. Lawrence, be it in relation to the transport of goods or passengers, regional development or the environment. Its mission is to protect and promote the economic interests of the St. Lawrence marine community from a sustainable development perspective.
Members of SODES include national and international marine carriers, ports and terminals, municipalities, shippers, regional development organizations, economic promotion organizations and others.
According to Ms. Trépanier, integrated management produces knowledge and fosters concertation and, thereby, conciliation. It leads to many improvements and can be implemented in all sectors.
The marine industry's main contribution to integrated management, in Ms. Trépanier's opinion, is through a voluntary environmental program focussed on continuous improvement in which ports, terminals and shipowners of the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes take part. This program, called Green Marine, now stretches across North America. Since its creation five years ago, membership in Green Marine has jumped by 95%. At present, it comprises 64 participants, 47 partners and 40 supporters. The program is guided by nine priority issues. It is inclusive and brings together governments, environmental groups and the industry. An assessment of participant performance is carried out annually and the results are made public.
However, Ms. Trépanier concludes by saying that it lacks an important tool that could make Quebec's sustainable and integrated development more cohesive and consistent, particularly across the St. Lawrence: the implementation of a global, sustainable transportation strategy. "When will we see such a strategy take shape in Quebec?" she wonders.
Steve Plante holds a PhD in Geography from Université de Montréal and an MA in Maritime Anthropology from Université Laval. He has been a full professor of developmental social science (undergraduate program) and regional development (graduate and postgraduate programs) in the Societies, Territories and Development Department at Université du Québec à Rimouski since June 1, 2002. He teaches social, regional and territorial development. Since starting in this position, he has specialized in the fields of integrated management of the coastal area and resilience and adaptation to the effects of climate and environmental change. He explores the issues of participatory governance and community engagement with a focus on contributive action research and action monitoring. He is the Scientific Director of the Community–University Research Alliance on Coastal Communities Challenges in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence facing climate change (CCC-CURA).
To begin, Steve Plante introduced the CCC-CURA, which strives to strengthen the resilience and governance capabilities of communities living in coastal and island areas of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. He works with a team of 11 partners in the field and 22 university researchers. According to him, the CCC-CURA pools expertise based on the development of skills in co-construction and co-production, social learning among all players (civil society and economic and public sectors) as well as collective planning and conflict resolution. Moreover, he sees the contribution of local stakeholders as being key to the solution in the IMSL process.
Mr. Plante considers integrated management to be a territorial governance process because it provides a better insight into stakeholder perceptions at all levels of action. He points out that integrated management must be rooted in the community (territory) and driven by the stakeholders at all levels through concertation. He therefore sees it as both a space where action is developed and a space where local stakeholders can have a head-to-head.
Mr. Plante also states that the IMSL, considered to be a space where shared knowledge is produced, must contain certain ingredients, such as ongoing and stronger ties between the stakeholders concerned, jointly-developed rules for adaptive management, collectively-set objectives, a real sense of being in touch with the communities, an openness to diverging opinions to the point of giving rise to debate in the process, and the possibility of discussing the diagnosis before finding solutions.
In wrapping up his presentation, Mr. Plante reiterated that an integrated management process must be based on the flexibility of its implementation mechanisms, particularly time and the means necessary for ongoing development and monitoring.
Claudette Villeneuve played a part in creating Stratégies Saint-Laurent, an organization consisting of ZIP (priority intervention zone) committees in which she has been involved on an ongoing basis since 2005 and of which she has been the President since 2008. In 1979, she founded the Sept-Îles Environmental Protection Corporation, one of the first environmental organizations on the North Shore. In 1992, Ms. Villeneuve founded the Conseil régional de l’environnement de la Côte-Nord and in 1999, the Gulf North Shore ZIP Committee. Between 1987 and 1992, Claudette Villeneuve was also president or administrator of the Regroupement québécois des groupes écologistes and Regroupement national des conseils régionaux de l’environnement du Québec (RNCREQ), of which she is one of the founding members.
According to Ms. Villeneuve, it is important above all to consider the expertise available to the IMSL implementation process. Thus, Stratégies Saint-Laurent and the ZIP committees, which for the past 20 years have been working toward concerted action for the conservation, restoration and enhancement of the St. Lawrence, must be major components of the IMSL. Stratégies Saint-Laurent and its members, who were officially recognized as collaborators in the St. Lawrence Plan during Phase II (1993–1998) and whose main actions focus on concertation and partnership, have over 1 000 projects completed or underway. These projects have generated more than $20 million in spin-offs and have greatly contributed to improving the River's health.
The St. Lawrence is part of Quebec's national heritage and, as such, it requires civic reappropriation in order to protect it. The new St. Lawrence Action Plan (SLAP) is a driving force brought forth by the provincial and federal governments to inspire this reappropriation, particularly through the implementation of the IMSL. At the regional level, the ZIP committees are major contributors to change and, thus, the improvement of the River. They have been particularly effective in fostering the participation and awareness of industry stakeholders and elected officials. In the long term, the SLAP's success depends on local and regional engagement and concertation, which is why it is important to involve regional and local stakeholders in the IMSL.
The IMSL can help guarantee the well-being of communities and the sustainable development of the River insofar as it promotes engagement by all sectors in activities relating to protection and conservation, pollution control, the development of current and future uses, and the creation of new social and economic prospects. A properly implemented IMSL requires active and joint participation by decision-makers and users from civil society in the decision-making process, and translates into mutual influences, more consistent and integrated actions, and a sense of collective responsibility that will lead to better informed governance through respect for the ecosystem's bearing capacity.
ZIP committees, made up of representatives from civil society whose involvement in projects for more than 15 years has focussed on the great task of restoring the ecological health of the St. Lawrence, are recognized in their communities and are central to not only environmental improvement projects, but also development and enhancement projects. They will be involved primarily in the production and monitoring of the Regional Integrated Management Plan (RIMP) and could be assigned more regional responsibility, as they are equipped to carry out mandates associated with the IMSL.
Post-panel question period
Hélène Raymond: "Is reappropriation of the River significant for the future?"
Chantal Rouleau: "Yes. In Montréal, awareness of its reappropriation is being raised among Montrealers primarily through access to the River. Land use planning is crucial. It is a responsibility that falls to the governments, including the City of Montréal. Consultations are being held in Montréal for the city's 375th anniversary in order to make water the key component of this event. The political will is there."
Steve Plante: "Yes. There is a pilot project, notably with the Southern Estuary ZIP Committee, to incorporate concerns regarding drainage basins and coastal areas, but it's very localized. It has to do with parts of lakes, rivers or beaches in front of people's homes, in their area, but not in a general sense. Once the IMSL is implemented, local issues will have to be tackled."
Claudette Villeneuve: "In the North Shore, there is appropriation through ZIP projects, particularly marinas, shoreline clean-up and the like. In the St. Lawrence, however, there is still a way to go, especially as concerns fresh water."
Pierre Latraverse (Fédération québécoise des chasseurs et pêcheurs): "Caution needs to be taken with appropriation. We are being chased away from the river more and more. Because of outrageous development, there are increasingly fewer marinas. Small water access points are disappearing in favour of large infrastructure and privatization. People are buying large properties as well as the view and river in front of them. Local populations need to be shown some respect. People living along the river do not own just the land. The distinction must be made: some take personal ownership of the river, instead of a collective one."
Chantal Rouleau: "There are indeed appropriation problems with privatization [monopoly] of the land, the territory."
Nicole Trépanier: "There is a difference between collective access and waterfront property. There is a need for collective development, but it should not be assumed that owners of waterfront properties have more rights than others on the St. Lawrence."
Steve Plante: "We manage the uses, not the resource. Taking into consideration social aspects, we will assist with collective appropriation. We need to view this as land use."
Luce Balthazar (RNCREQ): "The municipal sector has a dual role to play: enforcing certain regulations and contributing to integrated management. It is not a user in the same sense as the others, which many lead to conflict under the IMSL."
Chantal Rouleau: "The role of municipalities consists of land use planning and regulation. The role entails the creation of access, management and the use of water resources. But this does not necessarily mean that there is a conflict with the enforcement of regulations. It depends on how things are done; it goes hand-in-hand. Self-regulation is a must."
Marc Hudon (Nature Québec): "Let me remind you that the Saguenay ZIP Committee has been around for 20 years. An important aspect of the IMSL is having various governments and NGOs [non-government organizations] around the table in spite of the uncertainty and cuts. Everything Nicole Trépanier said is true. The role of the various orders of government is essential in the concertation process. The meeting of the IJC [International Joint Commission] is a good test for the Forum. On May 15, 16 and 17, IJC and stakeholders will have a chance to speak at tables. It is imperative that the stakeholders here today be in attendance. It is important to acquire tools for output/sustainable management in the long term."
Philippe Morel (Environment Canada): "Even though concertation and consultation have evolved over the years and have become more complex, it's because it's the right thing to do to make better decisions. This is why we're moving towards the IMSL with the RRTs [regional round tables]; the ZIP committees need to be aligned with the IMSL for as much consistency as possible. The regulation plan is indeed a major challenge. We need a new plan that is closer to the natural flows. Participation is a must. I think the IJC has learned from past consultations."
Charles Larochelle (Quebec Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs): "The IJC is a highly complex issue for reconciling interests and uses. The National Assembly opposed the previous tabling [of a new regulation plan], but the Government of Quebec will have to position itself through the upcoming public consultation and concertation. Managing water inflows in such a vast system requires an adaptive approach linked to climate change that takes into account the effects on safety, the economy and the social dimension."