Sustainable development
A core priority of the Port of Montreal is to align economic development with sustainable development through our policies and management systems. The MPA's efforts encompass many levels by creating national and international partnerships to develop lower-carbon fuels, by acting as a mobilizing force, and by rolling out promising projects to protect the natural ecosystem and the quality of the air and water.
Far-reaching partnerships - On course to clean energy
In a framework marked by the climate crisis and the need to accelerate the energy transition, the Port of Montreal took several steps to contribute to the future of a lower-carbon shipping industry. Here are a few examples:
- Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization
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An initiative launched by the Getting to Zero Coalition in partnership with the Global Maritime Forum, World Economic Forum and Friends of Ocean Action. By joining the 200 signatories of the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization, the Port pledged to take effective measures to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The is a global movement full of solid actions to successfully decarbonize the shipping industry.
- Development of new and innovative green energy solutions
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The signing of a cooperation and development agreement with Greenfield Global, a Canadian company specialized in the production of biofuels. The signed cooperation and development agreement aims to identify, design and implement innovative green energy solutions, including green hydrogen, ethanol and methanol. A working committee was set up to oversee the development and implementation of these new energy solutions for current and future MPA activities as well as those of MPA partners and the marine industry.
- Pioneers: an ambitious international partnership to cut GHG emissions
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Participation in PIONEERS (PORTable Innovation Open Network for Efficiency and Emissions Reduction Solutions), a green innovation project led by the Port of Antwerp that channels the efforts of 46 partners to introduce practical solutions for lowering greenhouse gas emissions in ports.
- A green shipping corridor with the Port of Antwerp
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At COP26, an agreement was signed with the Port of Antwerp to create a green shipping corridor. It aims to facilitate trade in green fuels and supply ships with renewable fuels and clean technologies.
- Energy and climate change resilience
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In 2021, the MPA began implementing an energy management system and energy policy based on the ISO-50001 international standard, as well as the eleven recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. Both initiatives will be completed in 2022.
"Working on the environment is really motivating and rewarding. There's a lot of excitement, but major challenges as well. We’re always on several fronts: environmental assessments prior to projects, energy transition, soil management, GHG reduction, ecosystem preservation... Good thing we have an incredible team that’s so passionate and has such outstanding expertise."
— Claude Deschambault, P.Eng., Director of Environment
Promising projects
A number of projects were carried out to protect local biodiversity, including:
- Actions to improve air and water quality
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As one of the winds of change pushing the marine industry towards clean energies, the Port of Montreal had already taken such solid actions as installing shore power for cruise ships and wintering vessels and setting up an LNG bunkering system. In 2021, 18 vessels benefited from the electrical installations for a total of 25 connections, making it possible to reduce GHG emissions by close to 2600 tonnes (CO2e).
All the measures deployed by the MPA are yielding results. Each year, the MPA conducts an inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions. In 2021, it accounted for 3082 tonnes of GHGs emitted by its activities, a 33% reduction since the 2007 reference year. Also since the control year in 2007, the intensity of GHG emissions produced by MPA activities per tonne of cargo handled dropped by 47%.
- Projects with the St. Lawrence Action Fund (SLAF)
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To enhance and protect the St. Lawrence River’s ecosystems, the Port of Montreal renewed for a fourth year its partnership with the St. Lawrence Action Fund and its Maritime Biodiversity Program, which focuses on projects to preserve, enhance, restore and raise awareness of the St. Lawrence River. The MPA currently supports several projects in Greater Montreal and Contrecœur, such as protecting bird habitats and preserving wetlands and shoreline areas with the Seigneuries and Jacques-Cartier priority intervention zone (ZIP) committees.
- Bat condos
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The MPA also installed three bat condominiums in the vicinity of its Contrecœur expansion site to meet the resting and breeding needs of six at-risk species of bats likely to be present on MPA territory in Contrecœur. Acoustic monitoring and yearly maintenance of the condominiums will be conducted annually to document their use.
- Nesting boxes for bank swallows
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The artificial nesting boxes for bank swallows installed in 2019 and 2020 in Contrecœur continue to gain in popularity and attract more and more young swallow pairs. The follow-up campaign in 2021 confirmed a significant increase in activity, as five out of six nesting boxes were occupied. There were a total of 1208 available shelters, of which 867 were considered active, and 692 chicks were born during the year.
- Greening campaign and tree planting
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The Port of Montreal continued its tree planting campaign aimed to plant 2,000 trees in five years, as announced in 2018 through the Montreal Urban Forest Leaders Committee. This year, 339 trees were planted around port facilities, including over 300 in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Four sites were planted: the Grand Quay (10 trees), the embankment at the entrance to the Pierre-Dupuy rental parking lot (17 trees), the Viau East and West embankments (162 trees) and Honoré-Mercier Park (150 trees). The Port of Montreal in collaboration with Soverdi also conducted an awareness campaign with businesses in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough to encourage them to green their own facilities. In 2021, three companies answered the call (UAP-Napa, SAQ and Scientific Games) resulting in a total of 298 new trees planted.
- Boucherville Islands National Wildlife
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The MPA and the Department of the Environment and Climate Change Canada continued the process of creating a National Wildlife Area covering nearly 200 hectares on the Boucherville Islands under MPA management.
“We get to be there for the construction and implementation of what we proposed. We’re in the thick of it! We work with experts and consultants who define measures. We improve and adapt them according to our knowledge of the site and the project. We’re a multidisciplinary team and we really have a comprehensive viewpoint that lets us consider all aspects of the ecosystem. We have to consider the long term and all the collateral impacts."
— Julie Bastien, Environmental Advisor, Contrecœur