The environmental movement Mothers at the Front held a new action Monday evening to raise awareness among the population and the Legault government of the importance of Northvolt’s mega battery factory project being subject to the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE). ). Quebec has until Friday to make a decision in this matter.
“Mrs. Charette and Fitzgibbon twist the facts, biodiversity and citizenship pay the price,” could we read Monday evening on one of the walls of the Montreal courthouse, in reference to the Minister of the Environment Benoit Charette and the Minister of the Economy Peter Fitzgibbon. “Contaminated drinking water, neglected risks”, indicated another of the shocking sentences which paraded as part of this nocturnal screening, at which The duty has assisted.
After demonstrating at the beginning of the month in front of the offices of Prime Minister François Legault, the Mothers at the Front movement, co-founded in 2020 by author and filmmaker Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, returned to the charge in an unusual way to criticize the management of the Northvolt factory project by the government.
“We are concerned about the risks that this project may pose to the population,” explained Monday the spokesperson for the Montreal branch of Mères au front, Isabelle Senécal.
At the beginning of the month, the Minister of the Environment admitted to having exempted the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt from the environmental procedure which would have led to a BAPE examination. The completion of this project, in which Quebec and Ottawa are investing more than seven billion dollars, nevertheless involves the destruction of several wetlands and the establishment of a pumping and water discharge system in the Richelieu River in order to to power the industrial equipment of this future factory.
“We are not reassured that the water will not be contaminated and we are worried about the quality of the air,” continued M.me Senécal, who reminds us that “it is not too late to request that a BAPE be held” on this project. The deadline for requesting the holding of this public consultation is, however, March 22, that is, this Friday.
“We must avoid the case of the Horne Foundry, which poisons the surrounding population,” said Mr.me Senécal who, without opposing the Northvolt project, considers it unreasonable for Quebec to consider allowing it to move forward without all of its environmental impacts having been analyzed and communicated to the population. “At the bottom of all of this, it’s about environmental justice,” she concluded.