The Commission de Protection du Territoire Agricole du Québec (CPTAQ) has made it clear that the protection of agricultural land is more important than wind energy development in the Montérégie.
The CPTAQ decidedly rejected the Les Jardins wind farm in a strongly worded final decision rendered on September 14. This followed the publication of a preliminary orientation just over a week earlier announcing the commission’s intent to reject the Monnoir project on September 3.
For Jérémie Letellier, the president of the Fédération de l’Union des Producteurs Agricoles de la Montérégie (UPA), the pair of decisions sends an unequivocal message. “The commission was clear that they wanted to shut the door that was opened 15 years ago when they were allowing wind farm projects. Now they are saying this farmland is too good to be lost to this type of project,” he said.
In both cases, the UPA recommended that the commission deny the applications, arguing that wind energy projects do not belong in dynamic agricultural zones.
Letellier pointed out that the UPA is not against wind energy but is firmly opposed to the development of industrial projects on quality farmland, especially given that just two per cent of Quebec land is arable. He argues there is plenty of room to locate these types of projects elsewhere, even if this means added expenses.
“If you only bring economic factors into the equation, you will never see the use for a farmland protection law,” said Letellier, who suggests that wind project promoters will be forced to consider the value of the land more carefully.
“That is a major development,” he confirmed. “Will the promoters keep considering the Montérégie for the development of their projects? It is a severe warning sign that has been put forward by the commission.”
Protecting the land and public interest
The 147-megawatt Les Jardins project proposed the installation of 21 wind turbines on a total area of approximately 125 hectares in the MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville, including the municipalities of Saint-Patrice-de-Sherrington, Saint-Édouard, Saint-Michel, and Hemmingford Township. The project also included two wind measurement masts, access roads, a collection network, eight junction boxes, and a substation.
The CPTAQ issued a preliminary project refusal in December 2025, after which the project’s promoters, including Kruger Energy, the MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville, and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke, requested a public audience, which took place in March.
They argued the residual impacts of the project were relatively minor. The loss of agricultural land for cultivation during construction was just over 73 ha, and nearly 88 per cent of this would return to its original use once the turbines were installed. The commission calculated that the project would result in the permanent loss of approximately 18.65 ha of agricultural land.
The promoters weighed this against the economic benefits of the project, which included royalties of up to $37 million over the project’s lifespan for the municipalities involved, as well as fixed annual payments of $6,227 per installed megawatt for landowners hosting turbines. The project, which represented a total investment of around $415 million, would also have a positive impact on the local economy, they argued.
As part of its final assessment, the CPTAQ noted that the project was located on some of the highest quality soils in Quebec and that all the sites selected for the turbines and access roads were on cultivated land with few exceptions.
The CPTAQ stated that given the agricultural context and regional characteristics specific to the region involved, the project would have negative consequences on the territory and agricultural activities. “The loss of several hectares of Quebec’s agricultural land is significant enough to justify denying this application,” it concluded.
The promoters now have 30 days to appeal this decision before the Tribunal Administratif du Québec.