The town hall of Quebec has decided: it opposes the reduction of the standard of nickel in the air proposed by the government of Quebec. The pollutant-laden air of Lower Town and the inability to accurately measure pollution levels there motivated his position.
“The soup, in the central districts, is already heavy, explained the mayor Bruno Marchand, Friday, the day after a whole day of plenary devoted to nickel. Raising the standard adds to the contaminants in the air, which are already quite dense. »
The mayor immediately ruled out the possibility of repatriating the nickel standard under the jurisdiction of the capital, as is the case in Montreal. Mr. Marchand rather intends to “collaborate with the Ministry of the Environment” to clean up the air in Quebec, particularly in the lower town.
The Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MELCC) announced in the spring its intention to quintuple the daily standard for nickel levels allowed in the air, increasing it from 14 ng / m3 at 70ng/m3. In the lower town subject to emissions from the Port of Quebec, the waste incinerator and other industries, the project raised an outcry.
Social inequalities also weighed in the position taken by the town hall. The citizens of the lower town indeed see their life expectancy shortened by six years compared to the inhabitants of the neighborhoods perched in the heights, as much social as geographical, of Quebec, according to Marie-Josée Asselin, responsible for environmental files at the executive. “The precautionary principle must apply in this context,” said Ms.me Asselin.
The government arrested
This is the first time that the town hall has taken such a demanding position with regard to air quality in Limoilou. The former administration had suffered numerous reproaches from citizens by refusing to take a stand against the polluting activities of the Port of Quebec, in particular.
Without questioning the seriousness of the studies submitted by the MELCC to justify the lightening of the standard, Bruno Marchand admitted that the tools for measuring the levels of pollutants and their source were lacking.
For Marie-Josée Asselin, the plenary allowed to bring to light the shortcomings in the way of controlling the quality of the air in the central districts. The exercise, according to her, shed light on “our inability to have more precise, finer data, which allows us to make things much better. »
Mayor Marchand is also asking for more frequent and precise measurements. “We want to have more measuring stations to assess all the contaminants, demanded the mayor. Stations where we can carry out more frequent analyzes and over a much larger territory. […] It is necessary to measure, identify, and then punish the offenders. You have to enforce the limit, regardless of the number. With punishments that are severe and force companies to act differently. »
The official opposition demanded quick results in this regard.
“It is urgent that the Ministry of the Environment do its job and go down to the lower town to see what is happening,” said Claude Villeneuve, the leader of the opposition at city hall.
The citizens gathered around the East Coast Citizen Table welcomed the “unanimous voice” of the municipal council in the nickel file. The organization is now urging the Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, “to work with the city of Quebec for the benefit of human health and the quality of the environment, and not the reverse. »
With Isabelle Porter