The Supreme Court of Canada says Hydro-Québec has the right to construct a new electric-power transmission line along an existing corridor running from the Quebec City area to Laval.
The story began in the early 1970s when the Quebec government authorized Hydro-Québec to build a transmission line and the utility acquired the necessary rights through expropriation.
In 2015, the Quebec government approved Hydro-Québec’s plan for a new line.
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However, land owners argued the construction should not be allowed along the Quebec City-Laval corridor and claimed damages for unintended use of the original rights.
In May 2017, a judge allowed Hydro-Québec’s application for a permanent injunction and ordered the owners to let the work proceed.
In May 2018, the Quebec Court of Appeal set aside the ruling and declared that Hydro-Québec had no right to use the owners’ properties to set up the new line, a decision the Supreme Court’s decision largely overturns.