Quebec Presents Bill 65 To Protect 50% Of Northern Plan Territory

On April 17, 2012, the Quebec Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, Mr. Pierre Arcand, presented Bill 65: An Act respecting natural heritage conservation and the sustainable development of the area covered by the Northern Plan (the Bill). The Bill seeks to create the legal framework required to implement the Government of Quebec's (the Government) undertaking to protect 50% of the Northern Plan territory by 2035.

In its Northern Plan, the Government announced that certain measures for the protection of the territory would be put in place. As part of these measures, the Government committed to devote half of the Northern Plan territory for non-industrial purposes and instead reserve these lands for purposes of environmental protection and safeguarding biodiversity. To do so, the Government stated that it would withdraw from industrial activity any Quebec public lands in the Northern Plan territory and adopt a framework statute to attain this