For the past few months, the issue of air quality in connection with the Horne Foundry has been at the top of the news. Extremely polarized issue, it raises, with good reason, a collective awareness that goes far beyond the borders of Abitibi-Témiscamingue. The University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) is greatly concerned about the multilateral effects of the current crisis and will be a central player in the solutions to come.
Posted at 5:00 p.m.
People from Abitibi-Témiscamingue know it: the Foundry has always been part of the Rouyn-Noranda landscape. This is at the very origin of the creation of the city, as was also the case for a good number of industrial cities in Quebec linked to the exploitation of natural resources. Doubts have existed for a long time about the quality of the air and the pollution generated by the activities of the Horne Foundry. Thanks to citizen pressure, which has enabled the population to be better informed, as well as various scientific advances, evidence has accumulated and the time for change has arrived.
We are currently witnessing an important social movement; what was accepted or tolerated before is no longer so. As citizens, we have the right to get answers. As a society, we have the right to be more demanding. The world is changing and that’s great news.
UQAT challenged, concerned and concerned
The health and safety of our entire university community as well as the citizens of Rouyn-Noranda is a priority for our university.
Like many organizations in Rouyn-Noranda, UQAT is also truly a collateral victim of previous political decisions that allowed the Foundry to exceed the provincial standard of 3 ng/m3 of arsenic.
The impacts of these decisions are numerous and directly affect our university on several levels, including our health and our quality of life as citizens, the recruitment of students as well as our attractiveness as an employer of choice and even the retention of our resources. in Rouyn-Noranda.
It is in this context that several steps were taken this summer to position our university in this dossier in order to get actively involved with our partners in researching and implementing tangible and lasting solutions for the health and well-being of the whole population. Members of the UQAT faculty have also participated in the popularization of various scientific aspects of the file in the various media in order to facilitate understanding of the issues, thus contributing to providing valuable scientific insight for the community.
Commitment and contribution
Since its creation nearly 40 years ago, UQAT has supported its partners by advancing knowledge with the objective of collective well-being. Deeply committed to its environment, our university makes its contribution by creating, transmitting and mobilizing a diversity of knowledge as well as by allowing the development of skills.
Through the excellence of our professors and our seasoned research professionals, we have played and will continue to play a key role in the social impacts and environmental practices of the mining industry, particularly the Horne Smelter.
We are convinced that through the mission of training, research and knowledge transfer, UQAT will provide tangible solutions to Quebec companies so that they can not only respect Quebec environmental standards, but also become major players. in terms of the environment and go beyond the standards prescribed by the Quebec government.
Be part of the solution
Like what was done during the creation of UQAT and its region, let’s join forces, like the people who preceded us, these builders who have enabled our development. Let us remember that at the start, many were skeptical and even doubted the merits of our existence. We confused them. Let us proudly pool our respective expertise and work once again to demonstrate all the creativity, courage and solidarity that our population can show towards achieving a common goal. Together, we have all the ingredients to invent an exemplary model. We’ve done it before, why not today?
Let’s look to the future for Rouyn-Noranda, this gentle rebel, but also for society as a whole.
As a university, UQAT is a place for exchanges, debates and ideas. Let’s remain collectively engaged, proactive and informed about research and scientific data. This is what will allow us to better understand and to take part in the discussions in progress in a constructive way.
The current issues are major and it is the responsibility of UQAT to make its contribution. More than ever, development must be eco-responsible and respectful of the community. UQAT will play an active role and will be part of the solution. And you?