(Quebec) Faced with the revolt caused by its new nickel standard, the Quebec government is trying to “reassure” the citizens of Limoilou. He pledged on Friday to create a new sampling station in the capital’s district and will set up a working group.
Posted at 9:59
“I’m not going to bat for the industry,” assured the Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charrette, Friday.
“I want to be reassured,” he added, when announcing the creation of a working group that will have to draw up an accurate picture of air quality near the Port of Quebec.
Benoit Charrette also announced that a new sampling station will be established in Limoilou. She will have to monitor the exceedances of nickel in the air, which are frequent in the Lower Town of Quebec.
The Legault government will modify the standards on nickel in the air for the benefit of the industry. The limit for particles in the air must be increased from 14 to 70 nanograms per cubic meter (ng/m3) daily.
The news sparked an outcry in Quebec. The elected officials of Quebec are unanimously opposed to the new standard. The City is now asking the government not to adopt it, or to provide an exception for the capital.
Parents from the Limoilou district, the sector most affected in the province by nickel in the air, are mobilizing to make the government back down. Benoit Charette has agreed to meet with them.
The minister explained Friday that the new, more permissive standard aims to develop battery production in Quebec.
“We wouldn’t have changed the standard if there hadn’t been the desire to develop our battery sector. […] As Minister of the Environment, I want to develop the battery sector. If we want batteries, we need nickel. It will not be done to the detriment of residents of Quebec or Abitibi,” explained the minister.
He repeats that the new standard compares favorably to those in place in Europe or Ontario. It also recalls that it was established on the basis of scientific studies.