A real estate developer whose land was flooded by construction of a highway interchange in Terrebonne is suing the state of Quebec for $1.4 million, saying he was the victim of a relentless campaign by Transportation Ministry inspectors. “Environment.”
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The story of the Pionniers interchange near Highway 640 is far from over.
The Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ) had already been commissioned in 2015 to rebuild part of the brand new structures, the construction of which had turned the adjacent area into a veritable swamp.
He was sued by real estate developer Héritage Terrebonne, the owner of the property, who said he could not proceed with construction of a 6,000-unit neighborhood because of the water accumulation.
But now Héritage Terrebonne plans to file a new lawsuit this week against Quebec’s attorney general, claiming he has fallen victim to the environment ministry’s “indulgence.”
“Unfounded criminal proceedings”
In fact, the company claims it was the subject of abusive investigations by the Ministry of the Environment when it disputed with the MTQ over how to address the interchange’s design deficiencies.
In 2018, she received four reports of violations of environmental laws, but the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) withdrew each case.
“Héritage has been the subject of an unfounded criminal case for almost three years, based on inconclusive evidence and collected in an illegal and abusive manner,” the developer claims in a procedural motion that we were able to obtain.
conflict of interest
Héritage Terrebonne claims that the ministry’s investigative moves “were intended to serve the purely personal interests of some officials committed to preserving the site and to prevent any real estate development there.”
The company cites the example of a biologist employed by the ministry who was involved in the investigation but found himself in a “blatant conflict of interest.” The official was personally involved in a foundation “whose objective was to preserve the natural environment in the Lanaudière region” and in another foundation “whose objective, according to the complaint, is to work for the permanent protection of cultural heritage.”
The developer also claims that in 2013, three investigators “illegally visited the site on several occasions to conduct investigations with the aim of collecting incriminating evidence against Héritage, without ever being authorized to do so by a judge.”
The 17 million square feet of land owned by Héritage Terrebonne north of Highway 640 and west of Highway 40 remains undeveloped.
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