Given the large areas of forest that have been destroyed by the fires of the past few weeks, the Bloc Québécois is calling on Ottawa to quickly set up an emergency aid program to compensate for the heavy losses suffered by industry players.
This aid measure is inspired by the wage subsidy program set up during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed small and medium-sized businesses to keep their employees despite the cessation of their activities, mentioned the spokesperson. from the Bloc on natural resources, Mario Simard, in a press briefing held in the House of Commons on Tuesday noon.
The elected official also pleads for greater flexibility in the employment insurance program to prevent workers in the forestry industry from being forced to find a job in another field, which could compromise the recovery of the sector at the moment. came.
“The government has demonstrated that it can be very quick to put in place measures to support economic activity,” argued Mr. Simard. It just takes courage to put [ce programme] in application.
“Normally, we are currently experiencing a period where our activities are intensifying, argued Benoit Lasalle, vice-president of the Quebec Association of Forest Management Contractors. But there, many of our members live in nothingness. We have no idea when we will be able to return to the field. »
The temporary program desired by the Bloc Québécois would include the reimbursement of the fixed monthly costs of the companies affected, but also the payment of the deductible of $50,000 per machine to be replaced. It would also provide for the reimbursement of part of the maintenance carried out before the resumption of forestry activities and loan guarantees equivalent to 25% of the market value of the replaced equipment.
As the machinery is still at many fire sites, it is currently impossible to assess the extent of the damage.
“These machines are very expensive and often that livelihood is the investment of a lifetime for a logging contractor. Thus, even before the start of the season, the maintenance bill can be around $200,000, investments that could not be made profitable this year,” the MNA for Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou said in a press release. , Sylvie Berube.
Fireworks prohibited
Given the high flammability index in certain regions of Quebec, the National Day festivities may be celebrated without the traditional fireworks.
In a press briefing Tuesday morning in Quebec, the Minister of Natural Resources and Forests, Maïté Blanchette-Vézina, urged Quebecers to be cautious.
“You have to take the context into account,” she said. The ban on open fires is still in effect on the entire north shore of Quebec, and that includes fireworks.
“It is important to understand that it would be sad and damaging for fireworks to set off other fires that would get out of control,” she then pleaded.
However, the Minister indicates that she is in communication with the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) to determine whether relief could take place in sectors where the flammability index would be lower.
Rain still expected in Lebel-sur-Quévillon
Tuesday morning, SOPFEU still identified 87 active fires in the intensive zone and 23 others in the northern zone.
In his daily press briefing, the mayor of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, Guy Lafrenière, indicated that the situation would remain worrying for the next few days, especially since no rain is announced before next week.
Indeed, according to the latest weather forecasts, no significant accumulation of rain is expected by next Tuesday.
This in no way alleviates the uncertainty in which citizens have been plunged for nearly three weeks now.
“We absolutely need rain to help our wildland firefighters. It’s the only way. It’s really the rain that will make the difference,” reiterated Mr. Lafrenière.
The elected official invited the population to remain ready to have to evacuate again, while the winds push the fires in the direction of Route 113.
“We hope that the Bell River will serve as a natural firebreak,” said the mayor.
On the side of Sept-Îles, it is indicated that more than 200 resources have been assigned since May 31 to fight the numerous fires. The progression of two fires, numbers 215 and 378, has been stopped definitively, indicates SOPFEU.
“Depending on the direction of the winds, smoke could be visible, and a lot of work inside the affected perimeters remains to be done,” said the organization on its Facebook page.
Environment Canada issued a smog alert on Tuesday for the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, where many fires are still raging.
A special bulletin to warn of “high concentrations of fine particles” in the air was also issued Tuesday morning. The presence of these particles has a detrimental effect on air quality in the north of the province, in an area linking Schefferville to Val-d’Or.
This dispatch was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for the news.