An Act to amend various provisions relating to the environment (2025, Chapter 12).

The Act introduces extensive amendments to a wide range of environmental legislation. Its overarching aim is to modernize and strengthen environmental governance, conservation, and regulatory frameworks across the province. It introduces a credit system for heavy zero-emission vehicles, aligning it with the existing framework for light vehicles, and gives the government authority to regulate credit accumulation, exclusions, and penalties. The Environment Quality Act is amended to replace the previous rule that provincial regulations override municipal by-laws with a new principle of consistency, while still allowing the government to declare municipal provisions inoperative. Several municipal charters are revised to remove the requirement for ministerial approval of environmental by-laws. The Act strengthens wildlife conservation by expanding the scope of authorizations and requiring the development of replacement habitats when existing ones are altered. It renames the Fondation de la faune du Québec to reflect a broader biodiversity mandate. Protection for threatened or vulnerable species is extended to plants, with new prohibitions and a detailed authorization process that includes impact assessments, consideration of alternatives, and compensation measures. The Natural Heritage Conservation Act is amended to allow the government to regulate or prohibit activities in designated natural settings. The environmental impact assessment procedure is significantly restructured to include earlier public engagement, new sectoral and regional assessments, and expanded powers for the government to authorize preliminary work in the public interest. The concept of avoidance in wetland and water body protection is clarified, and the government gains broader authority to regulate residual materials and enforce penalties. Water governance provisions are updated to reflect Québec’s commitments under the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement, including conditions for water withdrawals and transfers, mandatory reviews for large-scale projects, and conservation reporting requirements. The Act also harmonizes dam safety enforcement, expands inspection powers, and extends administrative penalties to legal entities and their directors.