(Montreal) Residents of the Outaouais and Laurentides regions fear that a mining project near the municipality of Duhamel will cause harm to the environment. The opposition even gained momentum after learning of the possible involvement of the American Pentagon.
Last month, Canadian company Lomiko Metals announced that it had received a grant of US$8.35 million (CAN14.26 million) from the United States Department of Defense and funding of CAN4.9 million from Natural Resources Canada to support additional studies on the natural flake graphite project.
This mineral could be used in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles.
According to the Pentagon, the exploitation of a graphite mine could strengthen the North American energy supply chain. The product could be used “for military purposes.” »
This expression makes residents, like Louis Saint-Hilaire, a spokesperson for the Quebec Coalition of Lakes Incompatible with Mining Activity, uncomfortable.
“At the beginning, we were told that it was an ecological project to make batteries for electric vehicles, but today we have serious doubts,” he says
Mr. Saint-Hilaire feared that the future mine would pollute several lakes in the region. Today, he is concerned about the possibility of graphite being turned into U.S. military equipment.
Claude Bouffard, coordinator of the Association for the Protection of the Environment of Lac des Plages, recalls that the community did not give its consent to the mining project.
“It’s almost like an invasion. It is in a way a betrayal of the mining company, of the government of Quebec, and worse still, of the government of Canada,” he emphasizes.
Lomiko Metal says it will conduct cost-benefit studies and metallurgical studies over the next five years. Everything will be submitted to the BAPE. It plans to launch construction work by 2027.
The Minister of Natural Resources, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, refuses to say what she thinks of the Pentagon subsidy, but the project will have to be accepted by the local population before moving forward.
“The mining project must go hand in hand with social acceptability,” she said in a written statement.
The U.S. Department of Defense or the U.S. Consulate General did not respond to an interview request.
Jean-François Boulanger, professor of extractive metallurgy of critical and strategic elements at the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, says that the type of purified graphite that Lomiko is talking about is used to make batteries, but the unpurified version of this mineral can be used in steel manufacturing.
Graphite is an essential mineral in the manufacture of heavy military equipment, such as aircraft and armored fighting vehicles.
Professor Boulanger says it is unusual for a government to openly announce that it is investing in a mining project for reasons of national defense.
Teresa Kramarz of the Environmental Governance Lab in Toronto says she is not surprised by the Pentagon’s involvement. North American and European governments are investing heavily in the exploration of critical minerals like graphite in order to be less dependent on Chinese exports.
She adds that allied countries are seeking to strengthen trade relations to secure their supply chains.
In a statement, Canada’s Ministry of Natural Resources says the funding does not mean Lomiko Metals will give privileged access to graphite production to the U.S. and Canadian governments.
Professor Boulager says he would be “very surprised” if these governments do not negotiate on this subject with the company.
Mme Kramarz recalls that neighboring communities fear that mining activities will disrupt ecosystems and make them too economically dependent. She adds that the fear of being forced to move also plays a role in their opposition.
“People need to have a say in what happens in their homes. These are the democratic rules. »