In recent years, several projects have raised significant debates in Quebec, particularly because of their potential impacts. Some were evaluated under the aegis of the Bureau d’audiences publique sur l’environnement (BAPE), while others escaped this independent procedure. The duty presents six of these projects here.
McInnis Cement Plant
The McInnis cement plant escaped a BAPE examination in 2015 thanks to a decision by the liberal government of Philippe Couillard. It must be said that the promoters had threatened to abandon the project if it had to be subject to such a public consultation exercise. The company argued that the project was subject to old environmental rules that were in effect when it was first proposed in 1995. According to the most recent official data available, that of 2022, the plant is the largest industrial polluter in Quebec, with emissions of nearly 1.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gases. Since the start of operations, the plant has increased episodes of particle emissions, and citizens in the area have expressed their exasperation on several occasions.
Montreal East Fuel Terminal
In 2019, the BAPE published a report favorable to the kerosene terminal project of the International Corporation of Fueling of Montreal. This aircraft fuel import project to a site located in Montreal East is designed primarily to supply Ontario airports using rail convoys and the Trans-North pipeline, built more than 65 years ago and which has experienced several incidents. The BAPE’s mandate was, however, limited to the analysis of the terminal site, excluding the resulting transport of hydrocarbons. Thousands of tank cars will pass through residential neighborhoods in Montreal each year. The majority of the kerosene, up to 1.1 billion litres, will be loaded into tank cars for transport to Pearson Airport. A total of 10,950 wagons could be needed, which involves several dozen convoys each year.
Pipeline 9B flow reversal
The PQ government of Pauline Marois rejected, in 2013, the idea of subjecting the reversal of the flow of the 9B pipeline to a BAPE examination. Only the federal government analyzed the project, before authorizing it in 2014. Some 300,000 barrels of crude oil now travel every day in this pipeline built in 1975. Enbridge’s 9B pipeline passes through densely populated residential areas of several municipalities, including Mirabel and Rivière-des-Prairies, but also Terrebonne, where it literally passes through the backyards of several residents. The pipeline also crosses several waterways in southern Quebec. It notably crosses the Mille Îles River and the Des Prairies River. A ruptured pipe could directly threaten drinking water sources in the metropolitan area.
Quebec Tram
In a report of nearly 400 pages, very critical of the Quebec tramway project, the BAPE highlighted in 2020 questions concerning the route that had been proposed, the choice of the means of transport to be implemented, the connectivity issues, the climate impact of the project and expected traffic. Last November, the Legault government mandated the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec to define the future of this project, which is raising debates in the region, like the third link.
LNG Quebec
Before the BAPE analyzed the plan for a natural gas liquefaction plant and LNG Quebec methane terminal, the ministers of the Legault government had displayed a favorable bias towards this fossil energy export project. Prime Minister François Legault notably affirmed that this initiative could “help the planet” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector. Quebec then changed its tune by relying on the BAPE report, which concluded that GNL Québec would cause an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to raising risks in terms of social acceptability and protection of biodiversity. The promoters of GNL Québec have not digested the rejection of their project. As part of their efforts to demand billions of dollars in compensation, they are also directly attacking the Legault government, accused of having acted in an “arbitrary, unfair and discriminatory” manner. American shareholders also severely criticize Quebec’s environmental assessment process, which they consider “biased.”
Shale gas
The Liberal government of Jean Charest had granted thousands of square kilometers of oil and gas exploration permits, and companies had already drilled the first shale gas wells before the general public was even aware of the emergence of shale gas. industry in Quebec. The outcry was such that the government finally commissioned the BAPE in 2010 to study the sector. An exercise repeated in 2014, with the same result: social acceptability was not there. The industry therefore had to abandon this development, which could have led to the drilling of 20,000 wells between Quebec and Montreal. Those that were drilled leaked methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Several companies have launched legal action against the government over the decision to halt all exploration projects.