Transport committee  You actually have to go way back in time. What explains erosion and the fact that the situation is critical in the fluvial section is that most of the shorelines consist of the same type of surface deposit, a slightly more loamy clay that reacts strongly to wake phases, causing alternating humidity and dryness, as a result of which it falls apart in sheets.

Transport committee  Earlier someone mentioned the figures $5,000 to $6,000 per metre. I won't do the calculation, but that amounts to some serious money. I think the valuation would be based on that. We also have to consider the need to take action on erosion. Lowering the speed limit for boats helped reduce erosion by 50%.

Transport committee  I don't have the exact number, but it would be easy to get it from the data we published on the Données Québec website following our last study. At first glance, I'd say that at least 300 kilometers of shorelines in the fluvial section show signs of erosion as a result of the seaway.

Transport committee  One of the negative effects of hard, grey infrastructure, as you said, is increased current speed and less friction than in the case of infrastructure that includes vegetation. This type of infrastructure makes it possible to develop habitats and to retain sediments in order to create ecosystems, such as wetlands, which are conducive to fish habitat.

Transport committee  The events that have an impact on water levels and climate change are definitely not the same in the Magdalen Islands, which are exposed to storms, as they are in the section of the St. Lawrence including Contrecœur and the archipelagos. Consequently, it's very hard to attribute clear consequences in that respect.

Transport committee  If I understand correctly, the question is about research on established structures. Is that correct? Is it about recommendations for building green structures?

Transport committee  I believe Ms. Lagarde or Ms. Durocher mentioned that. They mentioned the study that Diane Dauphin and Denis Lehoux conducted in the 2000s. They did an excellent study on erosion of the seaway shorelines. We can say that we're the ones continuing that work. They had been talking about lower ship speeds since 2000, but their work stopped a few years later, in 2002.

Transport committee  Good afternoon. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have been invited here to present our research work as objective witnesses. The members of our team are trained in geomorphology. Since 2017, we have been conducting research projects on the St. Lawrence River together with Quebec's Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks.