Territory
History of the territory's RCMs
OBV SCABRIC is the watershed organization (OBV) for the Châteauguay Zone (2410 sq. km). It includes 39 towns/municipalities in 4 MRCs and one agglomeration, as well as 2 indigenous territories.
Since the submission of its Water Master Plan (WMP) in January 2015, OBV SCABRIC has been working closely with several municipalities, towns and MRCs to implement its action plan.
The Haut-Saint-Laurent MRC covers the entire territory of the Châteauguay Zone. The MRC comprises 13 municipalities: Dundee, Elgin, Franklin, Godmanchester, Havelock, Hinchinbrooke, Howick, Huntingdon, Ormstown, Saint-Anicet, Saint-Chrysostome, Sainte-Barbe and Très-Saint-Sacrement. The territory’s main watersheds include Rivière Châteauguay (including Rivière des Anglais, Rivière Trout, Rivière Hinchinbrooke and Rivière Outardes), Rivière La Guerre, Rivière Saint-Louis, Rivière aux Saumons and Rivière Noire.
The MRC’s landscape is characterized by, among other things, corn and soybean field crops, livestock farms, market gardening, apple and maple syrup production, while 93% of the territory is located in agricultural zones, 34% of which is forested. Orchards, farms, berry orchards and lavender fields grace the wooded areas that cover a large part of Covey Hill, the region’s main vertical drop, which peaks at 342 m above sea level.
The hamlets (tiny concentrations of dwellings), whose remnants bear witness to the cultural diversity of the communities that settled the area, as well as the ancestral stone houses, century-old farms, numerous churches and natural spaces, are all elements that contribute to a well-preserved heritage, both built and natural, that charms visitors and inspires an exceptional living environment.
The Droulers-Tsiionhiakwatha Archeological Site Interpretation Centre allows visitors to learn more about the way of life and traditions of the 15th-century Iroquoians who settled in the region, as well as visiting a life-size reconstruction of a village and its longhouses, a traditional garden and an exhibition of artifacts discovered on the site.
This region is particularly popular with motorcyclists, cyclists and kayakers, and stands out for the diversity of its natural resources and vast bucolic landscapes, offering exceptional panoramas for outdoor enthusiasts and photographers alike. While some sites are protected, you can discover the region’s biodiversity in nature reserves open to the public.
The MRC’s terroir is bursting with local products that can be enjoyed in local restaurants, cafés and pubs, or purchased at markets, boutiques, bakeries, microbreweries, cider mills, distilleries and farms on the tourist circuit.
Water is an important resource in the Haut-Saint-Laurent region, because it is part of our history. It has conditioned the development and occupation of the territory. Today, it is very much present, via the St. Lawrence River, the main waterways (Châteauguay, La Guerre, Saint-Louis and Saumons, des Anglais and Trout rivers) and the many wetlands that characterize our territory. The presence of water supports the development of agriculture, our communities, tourism and vacationing.
The main issues are the quantity and quality of water available for human and animal consumption (Covey Hill is the only habitat in Quebec for all stream salamanders, including the mountain dusky salamander), as well as agriculture.
The MRC has developed a number of planning and regulatory tools for water protection, including an interim control by-law to control illegal landfill and reduce the risk of contamination of water tables and Category 1 and 2 wells. The interim control by-law governing the storage and spreading of fertilizing residual materials also aims to protect watercourses and water tables. The MRC has also undertaken territorial planning of water-related issues as part of its regional wetlands and water environments plan, adopted in November 2023.
The Haut-Saint-Laurent MRC is a long-standing partner of the organization. Feel free to contact them by visiting their website.
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The Haut-Saint-Laurent MRC is a long-standing partner of the organization. Feel free to contact them by visiting their website.
The Jardins-de-Napierville MRC is partially integrated into the Châteauguay Zone territory. Only the western portion is part of the territory. The MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville comprises eleven municipalities, only 7 of which fall within the SCABRIC OBV territory: Canton de Hemmingford, Sainte-Clotilde, Saint-Patrice-de-Sherrington, Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur, Saint-Édouard, Saint-Michel and Saint-Rémi. The territory’s main watersheds are the Châteauguay River (including Rivière des Anglais and Norton Creek), Saint-Jacques River, Tortue River and Saint-Pierre River.
The Jardins-de-Napierville MRC is part of the Southern Greater Montreal area. Surrounded by the Canada-U.S. border, the MRC has two customs posts on its territory: one on Highway 15 at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle and the other on Route 219 at Hemmingford. The Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle post is the largest in Quebec and the fourth largest in Canada.
The MRC is a hub for Canadian-American trade, forming part of a huge market that includes Quebec, Ontario, the eastern Canadian provinces and the entire northeastern United States. Its exceptional location makes it a key trade hub, with access to major economic centers such as Toronto, New York and Boston.
Less than 40 km from Montreal, the Jardins-de-Napierville MRC benefits from a dynamic economic environment and can count on a local market of some 2,500,000 consumers.
The Jardins-de-Napierville MRC is delimited as follows:
- to the north, by the Roussillon MRC ;
- to the east, by the Haut-Richelieu MRC ;
- to the south, by the Canada-U.S. border ;
- to the west, by the Haut-Saint-Laurent and Beauharnois-Salaberry MRCs.
Proud of its roots, rich in heritage and human capital, the Jardins-de-Napierville MRC continues to develop and offer a living environment free from the constraints of large urban agglomerations, yet close to all their advantages. The dynamic regional vision of our elected officials contributes to the development and enhancement of our territory. While resolutely looking to the future, they make their decisions with respect for the human and cultural heritage that forms the basis of our local society and gives it its own identity: the quality of life of our citizens and the preservation of our “rural” character remain fundamental and non-negotiable values for our elected officials.
The MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville is a long-standing partner of the organization. Feel free to contact them by visiting their website.
The Beauharnois-Salaberry MRC is located a few kilometers southwest of Montreal. It is largely integrated into the Châteauguay Zone territory and comprises seven municipalities, six of which are part of the SCABRIC OBV territory: Beauharnois, Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka, Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, Saint-Étienne-de-Beauharnois, Saint-Urbain-Premier and Sainte-Martine. The territory’s main watersheds are those of the Châteauguay River (including Rivière des Anglais, Rivière des Fèves, Rivière Esturgeon and Ruisseau Grand-Marais) and Rivière Saint-Louis.
With a total population of 71,953 (population decree, December 2023), the Beauharnois-Salaberry MRC, created in 1982, comprises two urban centers: Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Beauharnois. While the city of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is a suburban city of the metropolitan region, the city of Beauharnois is the only municipality in the MRC that falls within the territory of the CMM.
Its 79% of its territory is in the permanent agricultural zone, with excellent quality land devoted mainly to field crops. Most of its waterways are located in agricultural areas, and almost all have been developed to facilitate and improve drainage of farmland. Forest cover occupies a very small part of the territory.
The construction of the Beauharnois Canal in the late 1920s and the creation of the Seaway between Lac Saint-François and Lac Saint-Louis greatly disrupted the territory, particularly the Saint-Louis River, which saw part of its course diverted and linearized. Hydro-Québec owns a large strip of land stretching along the banks of the Beauharnois Canal, offering natural habitats that are ideal for birdlife and the western chorus frog.
As a result of past and present human activities (industrial and agricultural), wetlands and their ecosystems are under considerable pressure. In 2017, the municipalities bordering the Saint Louis River, the MRC and other partners, including SCABRIC, set up a working table to improve water quality in the Saint Louis River.
The Beauharnois-Salaberry MRC is a long-standing partner of this organization. Feel free to contact them by referring to their website.
The Longueuil agglomeration is only partially included in the Châteauguay zone. Only its southwestern portion is part of the territory. The Longueuil agglomeration includes five cities, two of which are part of the OBV SCABRIC territory: Brossard and Longueuil (Saint-Hubert borough). The only Châteauguay watershed within this administrative territory is that of the Saint-Jacques River.
On January 1, 2002, a new city was born from the amalgamation of towns on the South Shore. In January 2006, a new territorial reorganization created the Ville de Longueuil agglomeration, comprising the cities of Boucherville, Brossard, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville and Saint-Lambert. The boroughs of Greenfield Park, Saint-Hubert and Vieux-Longueuil (the former towns of Longueuil and LeMoyne) remained within the central city of Longueuil.
All these municipalities have long maintained close ties and developed shared services, notably for public transit and water treatment. Within this reorganization of the territory, all the towns have retained a link, as they are now part of the agglomeration of Longueuil, of which the Ville de Longueuil is the city-center.
Longueuil’s history goes back to the early days of Nouvelle-France. In fact, some of the boroughs have heritage and historic sectors that are among the earliest village cores on this side of the St. Lawrence River. The Vieux-Longueuil heritage site and Chemin de Chambly reflect the culture and customs of the people who built New France. Here you’ll find monuments and buildings reflecting Longueuil’s past.
Each of the 3 boroughs of the Ville de Longueuil has its own identity. We invite you to visit their websites to learn more about Longueuil’s history. The same goes for the history of Brossard.
The Longueuil agglomeration is a more recent partner of OBV SCABRIC. We invite you to contact them by referring to their website.
The Roussillon MRC is a regional territorial governance body comprising the following 11 municipalities: Candiac, Châteauguay, Delson, La Prairie, Léry, Mercier, Saint-Constant, Saint-Isidore, Saint-Mathieu, Saint-Philippe and Sainte-Catherine.
True to its mission, it contributes to the development of its 11 constituent municipalities by offering services and expertise in sustainable and regional development. It has adopted a regional vision aimed at the enhancement, development and enrichment of the Roussillon community. All this is achieved by promoting exchange, consultation and cohesion between the various stakeholders in the region around regional issues.
Its water system is part of the Châteauguay Zone, and its main watersheds are the Châteauguay, Saint-Jacques, Saint-Régis (including the Saint-Pierre River), Suzanne and de la Tortue rivers.
The MRC is a long-standing partner. Several projects have emerged from the collaboration between the MRC de Roussillon and SCABRIC, including the promotion of agri-environment in the Plan de développement de la zone agricole (PDZA) de Roussillon and the water-related climate change adaptation initiative for the Saint-Régis River watershed.