Ãle-Bizard could become the first territory to obtain the status of "humanized landscape" in Quebec. The file submitted by the City of Montreal is pending approval by the provincial government, but it is raising concerns among property owners who are still wondering what benefits they will derive from this âprotective measureâ. Over 150 have signed a petition against it. Many feel it is in effect and expropriation.
The project, launched in the early 2010s, and abandoned in 2013, has been relaunched by the current mayor of the Ãle-Bizard â Sainte-Geneviève borough, Normand Marinacci. Framed by the Law on the Conservation of Natural Heritage, it aims to protect a territory and to conserve biodiversity on landscapes where natural components have been shaped over time by human activities.