Report - Agence canadienne d'évaluation environnementale

Territorial context of the project
From the MIL Davie shipyards in Lévis to Montmagny, highway 132 goes through
rural landscapes with a major natural and heritage component and provides viewing
points for île d’Orléans, which itself is a historic district. No heavy industrial activity
has been established in this part of the land which has maintained its original land
divisions for 350 years. In fact, according to testimony received during the hearing,
the river corridor between Pointe De La Martinière and the eastern end of île
d’Orléans is one of the few sectors of the St. Lawrence River that still presents such
features of historical integrity and continuity.
From this standpoint, the 735-kV electricity transmission line that crosses the river
from île d’Orléans to Beaumont is considered by most of those who referred to it as
an error of the past. For some, the presence of these power lines reduces the quality
of the landscape on the coast of Beaumont in such a way that the LNG terminal
facilities, though visible, would lose some of their impact. For others, the construction
of the terminal would be the equivalent of repeating the error of Hydro-Québec’s
power lines or of installing the equivalent of Ultramar’s Saint-Romuald facilities at
Ville-Guay.
♦ Finding — The Panel notes that the project, with its on-shore and port components,
would be the first development of this type in the high heritage value landscape
along the coast of Beaumont.
Territorial integration issues
Integration of the project in the Ville-Guay sector raises two main issues. One pits the
residential, agricultural, and recreational and tourism use in a permanent agricultural
zone against the establishment of a use that would implement a long-planned
industrial and port development potential. The other pits a highly valued landscape
known for its continuity and integrity against the permanent and visible presence of
LNG terminal facilities.
With respect to the first issue, the Panel concluded 1 that the project corresponds to
the industrial and port designation and uses that are provided for in the applicable
land development plan, municipal Master Plan, and zoning by-law.
With respect to the landscape, though the Ville-Guay sector provides conditions that
meet the requirements for construction of an LNG terminal, the question whether or
1. Subject to the upcoming judgment that could be rendered by the Superior Court in the action brought by cittizens
of Lévis and Beaumont seeking a declaration that the Rabaska project is not in conformance with the City of
Lévis zoning by-law.
Rabaska Project – Implementation of an LNG Terminal and Related Infrastructure 113