Many residential areas are located near transportation infrastructure (expressways, railyards, the airport), exposing inhabitants to significant levels of noise. Some situations are getting worse, especially along existing road corridors, due to increased automobile use and heavy truck traffic. Highways 15, 20, 25 and 40 are among the most noise-polluting corridors in Montréal. The congestion on the main expressways and thoroughfares can also result in heavier use of the local road network, which creates nuisances in some residential areas.

In other cases, trucking operations at landfill sites and during snow removal generate noise and dust nuisances for some residential areas.

Some industrial enterprises generate odour nuisances. Many firms have already brought their facilities into line with the environmental standards set by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal’s (CMM) by-law, which is enforced by the Ville de Montréal. The CMM gives priority to assisting non-compliant firms that generate air emissions. This aims to speed the adaptation of their manufacturing processes in order to reduce and even eliminate these sources of industrial pollution. In some cases, the City may consider moving a firm whose operations seriously affect the quality of neighbouring residential areas.

The Ville de Montréal will also develop a Plan municipal de gestion des matières résiduelles (Municipal Plan for Waste Management, see action 17.4). This plan will determine the new waste management infrastructure required for its application, notably landfill sites and waste transfer stations. These will be located in industrial areas, so as not to create nuisances for residential areas.

Power transformer stations can also be a source of nuisances. The size and operation of some of these stations, as well as maintenance vehicle traffic, can cause aesthetic and noise pollution.