Conference-experience | The St. Lawrence River: A Meeting Place

Dominated by skyscrapers and concrete roads, Montréal is rarely construed by its citizen as a natural environment. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and its different confinements have increasingly made it possible for Montrealers to observe the presence of wildlife in the city – geese, wild turkey, coyotes, deer, birds of prey, etc. – and to recognize the fragility of Montréal’s ecosystem and of the relationships between humans and nature, both wild and otherwise. The environmental crises that our planet is confronted with require the development of better modes of interspecies communication and cohabitation. What better place to engage in an interdisciplinary discussion on biodiversity and ecological equilibrium with Montrealers than on the shores of the St. Lawrence? Meeting places and sites for intercultural exchanges – with their boardwalks, beaches, and park –, the shores of Montréal and the waters of its river also act as a site for interspecies exchanges. While humans use the St. Lawrence as a transit route for trade and, in some cases, to manage sewage, the river also acts as a source of food and refuge, a breeding ground and a place for migrations.

Due to health measures, we cannot hold this conference-experience in front of a public. However, podcasts of the meetings will be broadcasted in the Fall to allow a wider audience to discover the series. Follow our social networks to stay tuned on all the details!

Scientific Director:

• Natalie Doonan (Associate Professor, Communications Department, Université de Montréal / CIRM)

Guests:

• Eugénie Potvin (Coordinator, Maison de l'environnement de Verdun)
• Michèle Dagenais (Full Professor, Department of History, Université de Montréal)
• Jason Di Fiore (Executive Director, Héritage Laurentien)
• Sabine Courcier (Planning Consultant, Service des grands parcs, du Mont-Royal et des sports, Ville de Montréal)
• Geneviève D'Avignon (PhD student, Department of Biology, McGill U.)

CIRM is grateful to the Maison de l'environnement de Verdun for its collaboration in presenting this event. This organization manages the Éco-quartier program in Verdun. It offers a front-line service for citizens and ICIs to guide them towards better environmental practices.