Why should residents of Rouyn-Noranda breathe in a contaminant that far exceeds the standard set by the Quebec Ministry of the Environment of 3 ng/m3 ? Residents of Rouyn-Noranda are still unanswered.
Arsenic emissions from the Horne smelter, which began operations in 1927, currently reach 100 ng/m3, a gigantic deviation from the standard established by the Ministry of the Environment. For his part, Minister Benoit Charette is currently proceeding “with the process of renewing the certificate of attestation of the foundry and it is certain that things must change”. For its part, the Prime Minister’s Office has declared that the Horne smelter must reduce its emissions of arsenic.
Family physician Marie-Pier Lemieux has published a letter signed by some fifty colleagues asking that Premier François Legault “immediately demand a return to the same standards as all of Quebec for exposure to atmospheric contaminants” of people who live near the Horne smelter.
In my opinion, the rag is burning in the offices of the Ministry of the Environment. Therefore, I am of the opinion that the decision is political. It’s up to François Legault to put on his pants and bring the Horne smelter’s arsenic emissions standard down to 3 ng/m3even if it means temporarily closing the plant until the objective is reached… It is a simple question of justice and public health for the citizens of Rouyn-Noranda.
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