In the region, fears related to the granting of numerous mining claims are making noise in the electoral campaign and continue to grow. So much so that some see it as the start of a mobilization comparable to that against shale gas 10 years ago.
Incompatible with mining activity”, can we read in capital letters on a sign representing an imposing open pit mine. At the entrance to Duhamel, in the northeast of the Outaouais, the many posters are not all about the election campaign. At least not directly…
Carved into a country of mountains and lakes, this bucolic little town is at the heart of a battle to curb the granting of mining claims, mining exploration titles. “It could be a question of the leaders’ debate,” confidently asserts Louis St-Hilaire, spokesperson for the Regroupement de protection des lacs de la Petite-Nation. It is very powerful the level of mobilization that there is in the MRC of Papineau. »
When it is pointed out to him that this is reminiscent of the citizen fight against shale gas, 10 years ago, he replies that “it’s the same”. With the exception that this time we are dealing with a mineral with environmental virtues.
Driven by the electric car craze, the rush for critical minerals like graphite has led to a proliferation of claim acquisitions in the region. And the exploratory drilling of the Lomiko company, near Duhamel, recently gave a concrete turn to the fears of consolidation.
The large wooden house on the edge of a lake where Mr. St-Hilaire spent his childhood is far enough away not to be affected by this project. But under the current legal framework, its landscape could just as well be affected by the next one, he argues.
“As soon as there is a deposit, everyone takes claims around it,” he explains, showing a map that seems to have chicken pox as there are so many red dots on it. “Here, there is a claim that is as big as Mont Tremblant. This retired banker has been active for three and a half years already to alert the population to what he considers to be an announced looting. And it’s starting to show results.
The CAQ on the defensive
In mid-July, the elected officials of the MRC of Papineau wrote to the Premier to demand a moratorium on the granting of new claims. “Me, what I want is for there to be questions about it at the leaders’ debate,” says the prefect of the MRC, Benoît Lauzon.
His demands have already found an echo in the electoral campaign. With the exception of the CAQ, all parties agree. “It’s non-negotiable,” says the Liberal candidate in Papineau, Wittlyn Kate Semervil, who says she hears about it on the ground. “The municipalities of the MRC de Papineau must actively participate in the development of laws that affect their environment. »
At Québec solidaire too, we are formal. “The ecological transition must, among other things, go through electrification, and therefore the battery sector, but certainly not to the detriment of the communities”, advances the party candidate in Papineau, Marie-Claude Latourelle.
The Parti Québécois also gave its support to the moratorium, indicates for its part the local candidate, Audrey-Ann Chicoine. Municipalities must be “really considered” for “every decision”, and this, “throughout the process”, she argues.
The same goes for the conservatives, despite their notorious lack of love for state controls. “We have nothing against mines — on the contrary, it’s even part of our program,” says curator Marc Carrière. But in this case, you have to take the time to do things right. »
Recently, in Lac-Simon, demonstrators interrupted an announcement by the incumbent MP for Papineau, Minister Mathieu Lacombe, to question him about it, reported the daily. The right last week.
The CAQ rejects the idea of a moratorium, but seeks to be reassuring. “Major mining projects that exceed the extraction of 2,000 tonnes of minerals per day, as is the case here, are subject to a public consultation process and even to the BAPE”, indicated this week the spokesperson for the candidate. Lacombe. Like Prime Minister François Legault, he repeats that there will be no project without “social acceptability”.
But his words did not reassure the main stakeholders. “It doesn’t mean anything,” says Mr. St-Hilaire. When and how is social acceptability measured? In 10 years, when will all the investments be made? »
Wrong ore at the wrong time
“If it was an iron mine, it would be settled. »
Mr. St-Hilaire agrees that he did not get the right ore from the underground lottery. Driven by its Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, the outgoing government is determined to position Quebec as a key player in the production of batteries for electric cars. And for that, critical minerals, like lithium and graphite, are needed.
We are therefore dealing here with two opposing environmental causes. “It may be a government priority, but it has to be done in consultation with local communities,” notes Ugo Lapointe, of the Québec Better Mine coalition. Otherwise, experience shows that it won’t work. They will meet resistance and the miners will waste their money for years. »
When and how is social acceptability measured? In 10 years, when will all the investments be made?
Mr. Lapointe was at the heart of the campaign against shale gas which led to the adoption of a moratorium by the PQ government in 2013. Quebec unaccustomed to mining projects.
However, this time, the opponents are not against the projects as such. “The electrification of transport then the batteries, we agree with that, explains the prefect Lauzon. We want them, mines, at home, it’s just that we want them in the right place. »
The MRC de Papineau demands that the government impose a greater minimum distance between boreholes and boating areas, in the same way as it does for urban areas, for example. The equivalent of a buffer zone of 1000 meters rather than 600 meters at present. She also wants resort areas to also be declared “incompatible with mining activity”.
As for the request for a moratorium, it aims above all to curb the race to buy mining exploration titles in the region while waiting for the Mining Act to be amended. “While we don’t agree, claims, he takes it everywhere in places where he shouldn’t. »
In a year and a half, the number of claims purchased has more than tripled in the region, according to the Regroupement de protection des lacs de la Petite-Nation, of which Mr. St-Hilaire is the spokesperson.
Ugo Lapointe is convinced that a compromise is possible. “Quebec is large and rich in minerals. It’s huge. We have the choice to choose the best projects, we have that luxury. »
Until recently, the issue mainly mobilized the Outaouais, but MRCs from the Estrie, Lanaudière, Laurentides and Montérégie regions joined the movement on Monday. The question concerns everyone, underlines Mr. Lauzon. “We are asking to put a moratorium in place in all resort and tourism regions of Quebec. Not just with us. Everywhere. »