At its October 8 meeting, the Saint-Lazare Town Council announced the upcoming conservation of wooded land at 2215 Côte Saint-Charles. To make this environmental initiative a reality, the Town can count on the support of Nature-Action Québec and a private landowner.

“The land belongs to a citizen of this street. In the past, she expressed her desire to see her lots preserved in perpetuity so that no real estate development could take place there. Unfortunately, during our discussions, the lady passed away. Fortunately, her next of kin wish to continue the process of fulfilling her wish. To do so, we have enlisted the help of Nature-Action Québec, an organization that has assisted several Quebec communities with this type of procedure,” explained Mayor Geneviève Lachance at the meeting. 

Earlier in 2024, elected officials also approved a resolution to donate $23,500 to this organization to assist in the acquisition and conservation of these green spaces. 

Ultimately, the aim is to preserve these wooded areas, which are home to a high level of biodiversity and natural environments, in perpetuity. The area to be preserved covers 175,416 square metres. It comprises two lots. 

“We need to hire a firm to transform the two lots into a single one. After that, we'll need to obtain a fiscal visa from the Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs for an ecological gift. This process will determine the fair market value of the land donated for conservation purposes. It should be noted that no amount will be given to donors in exchange for land donated for conservation purposes,” she added. 

The elected officials authorized an expenditure of $30,000, taxes included, to cover the costs of this cadastral operation. This amount includes the fees of the surveyor who will visit the site to take measurements of the lots concerned. The sum will be taken from the operating surplus earmarked for the conservation of green spaces. 

Finally, are there any other conservation lands on municipal territory? “Several properties are currently designated for conservation purposes, and others may be in the future.For example, the Parc naturel de la Tourbière-du-Bordelais and other lands in the conservation zone,” Ville de Saint-Lazare indicated by e-mail.