Stablex’s plan to build a mountain the size of four Olympic stadiums to the brim with toxic waste (arsenic, mercury, cyanide, lead, cadmium, etc.) right next to residential neighborhoods is totally irresponsible. Add to this that the site is surrounded by exceptional peat bogs, near an esker which is the drinking water recharge for the farmers of the region. Runoff water from the mountain of toxic waste will flow into the watershed as far as the Rivière des Mille Îles, a little upstream from the Terrebonne drinking water intake. And there, it becomes stubbornness against nature.
As if that weren’t enough, on a technical level, nothing is going right. The claims of the promoter, who asserts that his process stabilizes toxic contaminants, have been contradicted by several sources, who on the contrary assert that there are toxic fumes, that the process is not inert, that the containment cells do not are not waterproof. At this point, the project begins to look like suspicious relentlessness.
Only the money seems to be there for Stablex, with imports of 50% and more of toxic waste from the United States and Ontario. A very lucrative trade for the American Republic Services, whose revenues are around 12 billion per year.
Calling Joseph Zayed, President of the BAPE on Stablex: Use your power to shed light on this ticking time bomb.
Study requested
The BAPE is an independent organization which, of course, has no decision-making power, but it does have the power to investigate and has significant power of influence. During the BAPE hearings, citizens and Climat Québec repeatedly asked Mr. Zayed to use his investigative power to shed light on the process. He has every reason to do so: eyewitnesses, whistleblowers, a devastating 1990 Green Police report, a highly critical 1990 Charbonneau commission report, British ministry studies leading to the abandonment of the process in England.
It is obvious that with a study which confirms that the process is not safe for human health and ecosystems, no politician, even as little environmentalist as those of the Coalition avenir Québec, will be able to authorize the Stablex project. without paying a heavy price.
Unfortunately, Mr. Zayed has so far refused to carry out such a study, on the pretext that he did not have time between now and September 8, the deadline imposed by the Ministry of the Environment for the handover. of the BAPE report. Many of us showed him that this study could be done in two parts. A first part that can be done within a month: study of the literature on the subject and interview of eyewitnesses with guarantee of immunity. Then, based on the results, which we already know to be disastrous, ask the Minister for an extension of his mandate to carry out the 1second stage, which is that of field validation. The Minister would then be in a very bad position to refuse it.
We appeal to Mr. Zayed’s sense of duty and honor to change his mind and use all the powers at his disposal to shed light on this ticking time bomb so that the minister can make his decision in full knowledge of cause. It is his role and his responsibility as president of the BAPE on Stablex to be at the service of truth. He must have the courage to put an end to the reign of intimidation, censorship and darkness that has prevailed in this file for 40 years.
How could he look in the mirror if, as a representative of the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’e-nvironment, he did not do everything in his power to denounce through facts and studies a project that will jeopardize the health of people and nature for the next seven generations?