Environment

It is with great pride that Ville de Saint-Lazare announces the achievement of its GOLD rating for the implementation of all twenty-four (24) measures included in the Monarch Friendly City initiative.

Launched in 2015 by the David Suzuki Foundation, the initiative aims to highlight the efforts made by municipalities to implement proposed measures to protect the monarch butterfly.

The monarch, like other pollinating insects, ensures the fundamental plant reproduction process essential to the survival of other species, including man. However, over the last two decades, their population has declined by 90%! This decline can be explained by the loss of habitat, the use of pesticides, the increase in land dedicated to agriculture and the reduction in the number of milkweeds. Milkweed is the only plant on which caterpillars feed and on which females lay their eggs, and is therefore essential to their survival.

The decline in the monarch butterfly population is a sign of the health of ecosystems. The protective measures provided for in the initiative are in line with the City's orientations to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems on its territory, as set out in the City's Sustainable Development Plan and Conservation Master Plan.

In 2021, the city council adopted a declaration to commit to implementing measures aimed at restoring monarch habitats and raising citizen awareness.  Two years later, the GOLD certification rewards the city's efforts to protect this emblematic butterfly.

Since joining in 2021, Ville de Saint-Lazare has implemented the following measures:

• Free milkweed seed distribution at Environment Day and other events;
• Protection of milkweed colonies in public spaces and around municipal buildings;
• The creation of monarch-friendly demonstration gardens to encourage citizens to introduce nectar-producing native plants into their landscapes;
• Reinforcing the pesticide interdiction (introduced in 2000), the main cause of the decline in pollinating insects;
• Organizing events to raise public awareness of the situation of the monarch butterfly;
• Ecological management of vegetation in flowerbeds, grounds around municipal buildings, public rights-of-way and roadsides, notably by stopping or reducing mowing to provide the best conditions for monarch butterflies and other pollinating insects;
• The organization of a first ecological landscaping contest encouraging citizens to implement measures beneficial to pollinating insects and biodiversity.

The City invites its residents to help protect the monarch butterfly. How can we help? By creating an oasis for monarchs, by introducing milkweed and other nectar-producing plants into their landscaping, and by simply leaving more room for nature!

For more information on the actions you can take, visit the David Suzuki Fondation Butterflyway project page.