OCPM urges Montreal to reassess controversial container yard expansion before approving
City says it's not so easy to stall project given the legal settlements with company
Editor's Note (March 31, 2025): This story has been updated to include more complete details provided by the City of Montreal about the project as well as developments leading up to the commission's report.
Montreal's public consultation commission is recommending the city postpone approving regulatory amendments for a controversial container yard project in the east end and conduct a complete reassessment of the plan.
The Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) released its report on Thursday, following a public consultation on a proposal by Ray-Mont Logistics (RML) to optimize its operations on a 22,300-square-metre site in the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
The project, located on the north side of Notre-Dame Street East, aims to transform the site into a transportation hub where containers and bulk goods will be received, stored and transferred via rail and truck for the nearby Port of Montreal
While a 2021 Court of Appeal ruling affirmed RML's right to operate without regulatory changes, the company now seeks to construct new buildings, including a garage and offices.
The company also wants to add a grain elevator, develop outdoor storage and parking areas and enhance landscaping.
These modifications require amendments to Montreal's Urban Plan.
But the city says acting on these recommendations is probably easier said than done.
Settlement means collaboration needed, city says
RML's operations have been contentious for years. The company won legal battles against the City of Montreal in Quebec Superior Court in 2018 and the Court of Appeal in 2021, securing its right to operate on the site.
In the fall 2024, the City of Montreal and RML reached a settlement which included granting the company exemptions to the urban plan and introducing a specific regulation for site development. This also included moving noisy equipment away from residential areas, planting trees and developing on-site parking and buildings.
RML must still comply with borough noise regulations and an authorization from Quebec's Ministry of Environment, which caps daily container transits at 1,500, on-site container storage at 5,000 and restricts operations to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
A noise monitoring program is also mandated.
Despite these measures, the OCPM report calls for a broader reassessment, arguing that the project's impacts on the Assomption Sud–Longue-Pointe sector — bordered by the Viauville residential neighbourhood to the west — warrant further scrutiny.
Sophie Mauzerolle, the city councillor responsible for transportation on Montreal's executive committee, emphasized that the city cannot suspend the 2024 out-of-court settlement with RML.
"Suspension must be done in collaboration with Ray-Mont," she said. "Our goal is to quickly sit down with the company and the various partners identified in the recommendations to address them for the benefit of local residents."
She added that the administration aims to "close this chapter for lasting peace and quiet for the people of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve."
Neighbourhood group applauds report
Mobilisation 6600 Parc-Nature MHM, a local advocacy group, has fiercely opposed the project, organizing protests and accusing RML of destroying two wooded areas while subjecting residents to daily noise.
Celebrating the OCPM's recommendations on its Facebook page, the group praised its members' participation in the consultation.
"We're quite satisfied with the report," member Cassandre Charbonneau-Jobin told CBC News. "It shows that our fight, which has been going on for nine years, is completely legitimate."
In 2022, Quebec's Environment Ministry issued a conditional green light for the project's first phase after a temporary stop-work order, imposing limits on operating hours and container volumes.
RML has since requested a reexamination of these conditions, which the ministry is reviewing to ensure noise levels won't harm residents' well-being, according to ministry spokesperson Robert Maranda.
Buffer zone recommended
During the consultation, some organizations highlighted the project's economic benefits, including its proximity to the Port of Montreal and RML's claim that the intermodal platform, operational since November 2022, will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 82 per cent.
The company also notes it has rehabilitated a heavily contaminated industrial site at its own expense since arriving in 2016.
However, the vast majority of participants in the consultation, mostly local residents, voiced concerns about noise, traffic and environmental impacts.
The OCPM concluded that a reassessment involving key stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Transport and Canadian National Railway, is "the most advantageous" path forward.
It also recommends a buffer zone to mitigate nuisances, potentially subjecting the project to Quebec's environmental assessment process, clarifying oversight responsibilities and improving community engagement.
Mauzerolle reiterated that her administration has consistently advocated for citizens' concerns about the project.
Meanwhile, Philippe Bourke, the OCPM president, acknowledged the case's sensitivity but suggested a possible compromise. "There might be a place between the two sides where we could reopen the discussion," he said in a later interview with CBC News.
In a statement, RML said it would analyze the OCPM's report. The company emphasized its efforts to integrate the project into the sector through initiatives such as the 2024 settlement's mitigation measures.
The RML project has been in development for years, all while the city continues its effort to revitalize Assomption Sud–Longue-Pointe.
For example, the administration purchased part of a wooded area, known as Boisé Steinberg, for $26 million in 2022. The city also acquired CN land to create a green corridor and tightened nuisance regulations.
The efforts are all part of a 2023 vision prioritizing residents' quality of life, according to Ève Obert Beaulieu, chief of staff in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
She said the city will respond to the OCPM's recommendations.
Written by Isaac Olson with files from Paula Dayan-Perez