Pincourt invests in nature
instead of development

Citizen-driven effort to save Rousseau Forest has paid off

By Carole Reed, Pincourt Vert

Pincourt’s Mayor Cardinal and our city council have changed direction, making a courageous decision to invest in natural capital and put the brakes on development.

In many ways our small town is living the suburban dream. We own modest homes on tree-lined streets in an oasis of forests and farmland. But we face a dilemma.

Pincourt’s Mayor Cardinal and our city council have changed direction, making a courageous decision to invest in natural capital and put the brakes on development.

To maintain our aging infrastructure, we are squandering our natural capital. Our forests are being bulldozed to make room for larger, more expensive homes and cheaply built condos.

After a decade of development, only one wetland on the Ottawa River, Rousseau Forest, remains. In 2017, residents discovered that Rousseau Forest was on the chopping block for a 45-home development to be built by Allard-Ménard.

Rousseau Forest wetland

We founded Pincourt Vert, a non-profit dedicated to environmental conservation, and began a three year dialogue with our mayor and town council.

Our challenge was convincing our mayor that development is really not that profitable in the long run. It can take as many as seventy years of taxation to pay for infrastructure that will need repairs or replacement in as few as twenty-five years. To pay down that debt, municipal governments can either increase taxes (and risk losing the next election), or expand the tax base through development.

‘Our challenge was convincing our mayor that development is really not that profitable in the long run.’

But to support new development, new infrastructure must be built, which in turn will require repair or replacement long before it’s paid for. When cities argue for development to increase municipal revenue, what’s left out of the equation is the cost of building the infrastructure for new developments plus the additional cost of ongoing maintenance.

Rousseau Forest in Pincourt – Image: Google Maps

The downward spiral of issuing permits for new development to pay for aging infrastructure ends when every last bit of natural space is gone. However, taxes will still have to be raised to repair and replace infrastructure. And at the same time, our property values drop and our quality of life is compromised due to our loss of natural capital.

Cooper’s Hawk

Traditionally, municipal budgets have not considered natural capital. Natural capital recognizes the value of the earth, air, water, and everything that lives. It’s intricately tied not only to our well-being but also to the value of our homes. Nature doesn’t just feed us and soothe our souls, it also protects our homes against flooding, reduces summer heat and purifies our air and water. Unlike infrastructure, natural capital is free. And unlike infrastructure, natural capital cannot be replaced.

The real tragedy is that the natural capital in our small forests, fields and wetlands offers far greater and longer lasting value than any short term financial benefits we gain from unrestrained development. To give just one example, wetlands act as natural sinks to absorb spring runoff. But we are landfilling those wetlands and installing sewage systems. More sewers pour more water into overflowing rivers exacerbating flooding while our natural sinks are being destroyed. The millions of dollars in resulting flood damages are shouldered by citizens even though the problem was created by developers.

‘The real tragedy is that the natural capital in our small forests, fields and wetlands offers far greater and longer lasting value than any short term financial benefits we gain from unrestrained development.’

Our recent flooding has brought this point home. When Pincourt suffered flooding in 2017 and again in 2019, homes along the river were hit hardest. The exception was homes alongside Rousseau Forest because the wetlands did their job as natural sinks to absorb spring runoff.

Wild Garlic

Why then did the provincial government grant a Certificate of Authorization to destroy this precious forest and its wetlands? Why wasn’t it protected under the Quebec Environmental Quality Act? Because a loophole in that legislation allowed the developer to swap out land that protects about 80 homes from flooding for a plot of agricultural land nowhere near the river in another municipality. Hardly within the spirit of a law that aims to protect wetlands, and hardly in accord with our provincial government’s stated commitment to protect our remaining wetlands from destruction.

To show the value of Rousseau Forest to our mayor and council, Pincourt Vert hired a biologist to do an ecosystem description of the forest. Our city took our report seriously. They compared the developer’s report submitted to the government to obtain its Certificate of Authorization, which claimed that the forest did not have much ecological value, to our report, which attested to its rich diversity of species and valuable wetlands.

‘Why… did the provincial government grant a Certificate of Authorization to destroy this precious forest and its wetlands? Why wasn’t it protected under the Quebec Environmental Quality Act?’

To resolve the discrepancy, the city undertook its own ecological study of Rousseau Forest. The city’s biologist concluded that the wetlands are more extensive than previously reported and that the forest is rich in species, including flora and fauna officially recognized as being at risk. He concluded that Rousseau Forest was more valuable preserved than developed.

Red Fox

And this is when Pincourt changed direction. The Council listened to residents and, more importantly, they listened to the science. Mayor Cardinal promised to save the forest.

On September 30 of this year, the city council passed a borrowing by-law to buy the land on which Rousseau Forest is located. Since the purchase requires a tax increase, the city solicited the input of Pincourt residents and the result of that consultation, as announced on November 10, shows that the majority of Pincourt residents agree that preserving the forest is worth a small increase in taxes.

By investing in natural capital, we have preserved a community nature reserve for everyone to enjoy. We have a place for our children to learn about nature. We have forested wetlands to control spring flooding and to purify our air while moderating summer heat. By saying no to development, we reduce traffic congestion and save on the future costs of maintaining even more infrastructure. And in the long term, we are mitigating the effects of climate change.

Rousseau Forest in the fall

Putting the brakes on the downward spiral of development means that we agree to stop borrowing from our own future and stop robbing our grandchildren of their future. By making the bold decision to invest in nature rather than spend on more infrastructure, Pincourt has become an inspiration for other communities.

Images: courtesy of Pincourt Vert (unless indicated otherwise)

Read other articles about the environment

Carole Reed spent her childhood in Pointe Claire climbing trees, playing in the woods, and biking through farmland. She became an environmentalist in 1972 after reading Silent Spring. Now retired from teaching, she is devoting the rest of her life to saving the planet for her great granddaughter.