(Rouyn-Noranda) An information meeting on the issue of environmental health in Rouyn-Noranda will take place this Thursday evening only for residents of the Notre-Dame district where the Horne Foundry is located.
Posted at 8:07
The Dr Luc Boileau, national director of public health, will be present to discuss with the population who is summoned to the Rouyn-Noranda Convention Center. For the occasion, 500 people can be admitted.
The Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for coordinating government action in the Horne Foundry file, Hélène Proteau, will also be present, as will representatives of the CISSS de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue and the National Institute of Public Health. (INSPQ).
A status report on environmental health will be drawn up and residents of the Notre-Dame district will be able to address their questions and concerns.
Two weeks ago, Claude Bélanger, head of North American copper operations at Glencore, owner of the Horne Smelter, announced the investment of 500 million to reach an arsenic emission threshold of 15 nanograms per meter. air cube (ng/m3) in 2027, as requested by Quebec public health authorities and the Ministry of the Environment.
The company predicts that 84% of the urban perimeter of Rouyn-Noranda will reach a concentration of 3 ng/m3 or less in five years, which would correspond to the Quebec standard. However, management was unable to indicate how and when the foundry could reach the Quebec standard for the entire city.
Last week, the mayoress of Rouyn-Noranda, Diane Dallaire, affirmed that the various local reactions to the issue of polluting fumes from the Horne Foundry raised concerns among elected municipal officials about the social divide among the population.