(Quebec) Air quality remains “worrying” for the health of citizens in the Limoilou–Basse-Ville sector in Quebec, concludes a committee of experts in a 1,200-page report released on Tuesday. The authors point to a series of culprits, including wood heating, activities at the Port of Quebec and the Glencore mining industry.
The Task Force on Atmospheric Contaminants (GTCA) created by the CAQ government to analyze air quality in this polluted sector of Quebec City also points to the negative role played by highways and transportation. It is in this same sector that the government plans to launch its third link, a controversial motorway tunnel project.
“The issue of air quality in the Limoilou–Basse ville sector is worrying when compared to other sectors of Quebec City and other cities in Quebec and Canada,” warns the report.
Even if air quality is improving overall in Quebec, it “is improving less quickly in the Limoilou–Basse-Ville sector than elsewhere”. The GTCA points the finger at fine particles, nitrogen oxide and nickel.
It is fine particles, specifically PM2.5, that are of most concern to experts. “The average annual concentrations of fine particles at the Vieux-Limoilou station are among the highest in the province,” write the authors.
Wood heating would be the main culprit, along with transport. The City of Quebec counts 25,000 heating appliances and estimates that 5,000 to 8,000 are non-compliant. Their owners are required to replace them with less polluting models by 2026, which delights the experts.
“The City of Montreal has already taken this turn and significant improvements have been observed after the implementation 10 years ago,” they write.
Nickel: “unacceptable situation”
In 2022, the Legault government allowed the industry to emit more nickel into the air. This decision was made with a view to developing the “battery industry” in Quebec.
The measure sparked strong protests from several citizen groups in the Limoilou district and from Quebec City. In response, the Ministry of the Environment set up this independent working group. The GTCA notes that “exceedances of the nickel standard are still observed, an unacceptable situation for part of the population”.
The Glencore mining company, which transships nickel extracted from the Raglan mine in Nunavik in the Port of Quebec, is implicated. The Task Force recommends that the company modify its transshipment method “to reduce, if not eliminate, this risk at source”.
“The GTCA found that there is still toxicological uncertainty surrounding the cancer risk from nickel,” the experts write.
“An argument against the 3e link ”
The report does not fail to underline the impact of transport on air pollution in this sector surrounded by motorways. “Traffic in the study area is a significant source. It is fed by city traffic and highways. »
The Task Force therefore recommends “putting in place a sustainable mobility strategy based on public and active transportation to reduce emissions”.
The local deputy Sol Zanetti did not fail to read in it a disavowal of the third link project, which is to come out in this sector, near ExpoCité.
“This is one more argument against the third link which, as we know, would bring tens of thousands, perhaps 50,000 more cars to downtown Quebec City every day,” lamented the supportive MP for Jean- Lesage after the release of the report.
IMAGE FROM THE TASK FORCE ON AIR CONTAMINANTS (TAWG) REPORT
The sector studied by the Task Force.
The mayor of Quebec has received the report. “We cannot say that there is only one culprit. It might have been easier […] But if you read the report, you will see that many of us have a responsibility,” notes Bruno Marchand.
According to him, the City of Quebec has already put in place several measures that will improve air quality in Limoilou, such as the obligation of certified wood stoves by 2026 or the construction of the biomethanization plant.
The Minister of the Environment was not present at the presentation of the report on Tuesday evening. Benoit Charrette, however, wrote on Twitter that he was going to “take the time to analyze the report” before “quickly meeting all the actors concerned”. “If there are actions to be taken, we will work together to ensure better air quality in the area,” he wrote.
The Task Force presented its report Tuesday evening at an Upper Town hotel. “I regret that this presentation did not take place in Lower Town, with the people concerned,” said a citizen during the question period.
Another citizen said he was saddened by the “little time to prepare”. The 1,213-page report was released around 3 p.m. Tuesday and the evening briefing was at 7 p.m.
The Chair of the Working Group replied that he had not chosen the location of the information evening nor “chosen the strategy for disseminating the report”. The citizen asked if it was the Ministry of the Environment. “It’s not us in any case,” replied chemist Jean-Pierre Charland.