Report - Agence canadienne d'évaluation environnementale

Territorial context of the project
The proponent undertook with the City of Lévis to invest in the construction of
infrastructures and facilities to welcome tourists at Pointe De La Martinière (DM315,
p. 18). There, trails giving access to the St- Lawrence river offers walkers a view of île
d’Orléans and down the river. Owing to the proximity of the Pointe De La Martinière to
the proposed terminal facilities and the contrast between the natural features and the
industrial aspect of the LNG terminal, the proponent qualified the visual impact of his
facilities as high from this point of view (PR8.3, p. 52; DQ14.1, p. 2). The presence of
the LNG terminal maritime infrastructures would be added to those of Hydro-Quebec’s
power lines, and would create a cumulative impact on the visual appreciation of the
landscape and on the experience visitors would have at the Parc de la Pointe-De La
Martinière.
The Panel went to the shore of the river near the Pointe De La Martinière during a
public visit along with the proponent and many citizens. It considers that the impact of
the project seen from the bank should have been documented further, for example
from the Parc de la Pointe-De La Martinière.
♦ Opinion 6 — The Panel is of the opinion that, even if visual simulations were not
produced from the public access points on the river, the visual experience of
residents and visitors to these spots would be modified by the project.
Heritage Value of the Landscape
Several participants, including groups that have a long history in studying and
defending the landscape, pointed out that the landscape cannot be reduced to its
visual aspect, but must also be considered in light of its heritage value. They
underscored the cultural, identity, and symbolic dimensions of the landscape.
Commenting on the impact of the projected infrastructures on the landscape, a
number of participants emphasized its homogeneity and the necessity to preserve it
as a collective heritage 1 .
On this point, a participant spoke of the value of the landscape in the following terms:
[…] people need to have elements for identification, or better yet, authentic geosymbols
to exits, if not for their well-being. […] These geo-symbols definitely
define a well-determined territorial identity. They open the doors to reflection on
the link between landscape and the land in all its forms. We don’t simply live on a
territory; the territory also lives in us. […] This place is Lévis, a unique [and]
historic […] environment.
(Ms. Yvonne Tschirky-Melançon, DM524, p. 10-11 and 18-19)
1. Last year, the GIRAM began to develop a project to have this sector of the river recognized as a “cultural
landscape” under the Natural Heritage Conservation Act (DM461, p. 41).
112 Rabaska Project – Implementation of an LNG Terminal and Related Infrastructure