The Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) sets municipalities a target of having 30% greenspace. Pointe-Claire presently has only about 6% publicly owned greenspace. While we can’t fix this overnight, there are strategies to pursue.
What Pointe-Claire can do without buying land
Under certain circumstances, privately owned land can count towards a city’s 30% greenspace. The concept of “répertoire métropolitain des initiatives municipales de conservation” shows that CMM counts non-acquisition conservation (i.e. contribution by municipalities via regulation / covenant etc.) toward municipal / regional green / conservation targets.
If a municipality wants to meet the CMM’s 30% green space / natural lands target without or with minimal land purchase, there is still a lot that can be done:
Map all existing natural, semi-natural, underused land (public or private) that has ecological value or could be restored (wasteland, small wooded areas, wetlands, privately owned shoreline, etc.)
Use zoning / regulatory tools (RCI or local equivalents) to limit development of those lands, especially in areas with high potential, so they cannot be subdivided or heavily built even if private.
Negotiate or require conservation easements / legal covenants with private owners / developers to protect certain parcels in perpetuity or long-term.
Use the LAU (Loi sur l’aménagement et l’urbanisme) provisions to get land or servitudes or monetary contributions from developers (especially when there is subdivision or big development), to dedicate green/natural space.
Repurpose / naturalize parts of municipally owned lands (parks, rights-of-way, utility corridors, road edges) to increase green coverage, reduce mowing / lawn, allow more tree canopy, add wetlands.
Promote green infrastructure, permeable surfaces, tree canopy in public lands, road allowances etc., so that public lands fulfill more ecological functions.
Include green space / natural land protection goals into municipal/official plans, ensure they are enforceable, so that future development respects them.