Standing on the edge of the St. Lawrence River on a crisp November morning, I couldn’t help but notice the juxtaposition of industrial activity against the quiet ripples where copper redhorse fish—a species found nowhere else on Earth—have swum for centuries. Yet these endangered fish now find themselves at the center of a growing political dispute over the Montreal Port Authority’s ambitious expansion plans.
“This consultation process has been entirely inadequate,” Bloc Québécois MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval told me during an interview at his constituency office last week. “We’re talking about a $750 million project that could permanently alter critical habitat for an endangered species that only exists in this specific ecosystem.”
The controversy centers around the Port of Montreal’s Contrecoeur terminal expansion, a project aimed at increasing shipping capacity by 1.15 million containers annually. While the economic arguments focus on creating approximately 5,000 jobs and strengthening Quebec’s position in international shipping, environmental concerns have intensified following revelations about the consultation process.
Documents obtained through access to information requests show that Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) scientists raised significant concerns about impacts on copper redhorse habitat that were largely downplayed in public-facing materials. The copper redhorse fish, listed under the Species at Risk Act since 2007, depends on specific shallow areas of the St. Lawrence that would be directly affected by increased shipping traffic and construction.
“When federal scientists identify serious risks to an endangered species and those warnings don’t make it into the public consultation materials, we have to question whose interests are being prioritized,” Barsalou-Duval said, pointing to a stack of internal DFO memos on his desk.
The Port Authority has defended its process, with spokesperson Marie-Claude Guérin stating that “environmental considerations have been integrated throughout the planning process” and noting that the project includes a $15 million environmental mitigation fund. But critics question whether any amount of mitigation can offset the potential loss of critical habitat.
During a community meeting in Verchères last month, I watched as local resident Pierre Lafontaine presented photos of the copper redhorse to Port officials. “My grandfather used to catch these fish. They’re part of our heritage, not just some environmental checkbox,” he said to applause from approximately 75 attendees.
The situation highlights the delicate balance between economic development and environmental protection that has become increasingly contentious in Canada’s resource and infrastructure projects. According to a recent Angus Reid poll, 68% of Quebecers support stronger environmental protections even if they limit economic growth, compared to 54% nationally.
Dr. Nathalie Vachon, a biologist who has studied the copper redhorse for over a decade at Université du Québec à Montréal, explained that the species faces multiple threats. “The copper redhorse is already dealing with agricultural runoff, climate change impacts on water temperature, and recreational boating. Adding a major port expansion in one of their last remaining spawning areas could be the final blow.”
The Port Authority counters that its environmental studies show impacts can be managed through seasonal restrictions on dredging and construction, along with creating artificial spawning grounds elsewhere. However, these claims were challenged at a parliamentary committee hearing last week when DFO scientist Dr. Marc Trudeau testified that “artificial habitat creation for this species has shown limited success in previous attempts.”
For communities along the river, the dispute reflects broader questions about consultation and local input. Mayor Suzanne Roy of Sainte-Julie told me that municipalities feel sidelined. “We’re told about decisions after they’re essentially made. This isn’t consultation; it’s notification.”
The expansion has received preliminary approval from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, but final permits still require sign-off from the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, who has faced mounting pressure from both environmental groups and the Bloc Québécois to reject the current plan.
Walking along the shoreline where construction would begin next spring, I spoke with Jean Bélanger, who has fished these waters for 40 years. “The river changes, I understand that,” he said, adjusting his weathered cap. “But there’s change that respects what’s already here, and change that just bulldozes through. I hope we’re smart enough to know the difference.”
The copper redhorse, with its distinctive large scales and reddish tail, doesn’t make headlines like polar bears or whales. Yet it represents something profound about our relationship with local ecosystems. Endemic species—those found nowhere else—are living connections to specific places, evolutionary stories unique to the landscapes we call home.
As the federal government faces its decision deadline in January, the Montreal port expansion has evolved from a regional infrastructure project into a test case for how Canada balances its economic aspirations against its legal and moral obligations to protect endangered species. For residents along the St. Lawrence and the copper redhorse swimming below the surface, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
