Climate tests in the Montreal area: towards a new assessment tool for urban and real estate developments?

Abstract

As the effects of global warming are becoming more significant and visible, climate change is set to be one of the most important stakes of our era. Modeling and research have shown that it has direct and long-term impacts over biodiversity, health and human economies (Meadows and Meadows and Randers, 1972). It is now inevitable for decision-makers to assess the extent how their actions contribute to climate change. In other words, they must find solutions and methods to anticipate the impacts of their decisions on the environment (Bourg and Papaux, 2015).

In Canada, the environmental issues are assessed at different scales. At the federal level, the Impact Assessment Act demands an environmental study for infrastructure projects, in order to reach “carboneutrality” by 2050. At the provincial level, each sets its own regulations and evaluation tools. In Quebec, the Environment Quality Act (EQA) defines the standards for environmental assessment for large-scale projects, such as mines or power plants. While it is proven that urban and real estate developments play a major role in climate change (Hoornweg and Sugar and Trejos Gomez, 2011) and can help mitigate it (Desjardins, 2011), the EQA explicitly exempts from environmental assessment “ all […] structures intended for dwellings, wholesale and retail trade, or [...] offices [...]”.

Within Quebec, local governments are free to set the regulations and tools they chose to anticipate climate change effects. As the provincial law (the EQA) does not apply to urban and real estate projects, municipalities are on the front line to assess the climate impacts of these developments. In this context, several Quebec municipalities started using “climate tests” in the late 2010s. Due to their recent adoptions, these tests are poorly documented. Yet, they are rapidly expanding: in 2024, more than three large cities use a climate test to assess the climate impacts of their decisions.

This contribution explores the origins, construction and current uses of climate tests in the Montreal area, where the municipal government and local districts have (or are) set(ing) their own climate tests. The study relies on a methodology that focuses on a field approach: first, the analysis of several climate tests that are publicly available, or that the authors obtained from the municipalities; second, the conduction of 15 interviews with academics, public and private-sector professionals working on or with climate tests. This unique combination of data brings new perspectives for the study of climate tests in Quebec.

The discussion gives a historical perspective of the rise of climate tests in North America. In particular, it suggests that the Montreal tests derived from a combination of US and France climatic models, environmental grids and assessment tools. It also shows that the adoption process of the climate tests share similarities, although their day-to-day use is influenced by political strategies. Secondly, it gives an extensive analysis of the current (Q4 2023) climate test that is designed and updated by the City of Montreal, focusing on the indicators and the uses of the climate test. Third, it presents the climate assessment tools that are adopted by three Montrealer district-level governments: Rosemont - La Petite-Patrie, Le Plateau and Sud Ouest. It shows that the rise of such tests gives complementary assessments while possibly complexifying the decision-making process.

After a brief mention of the limitations of its data (the constant and rapid evolution of climate tests) and methodology (the need to limit the analysis to a specific step of the climate tests’ development), the contribution concludes giving perspectives on the future evolutions of climate tests and their role in the assessment of the climate-related impacts of urban and real estate developments.