The Government of Quebec and the City of Rouyn-Noranda promise to support citizens who will be relocated due to arsenic emissions from the Horne smelter in “each stage” and that the operation will be done gradually.
Quebec will disburse $88.3 million to support the City, which must relocate nearly 200 families who live in the Notre-Dame sector.
The company Glencore, owner of the foundry, will acquire, at its expense and by mutual agreement, the buildings and land in the area.
The multinational will determine the price of the buildings, but the owners will be “accompanied” and “advised” by a committee made up of members of the Government of Quebec and the City of Rouyn-Noranda.
Glencore will demolish 82 buildings, will have to decontaminate the grounds of the district and then green the sector so that it becomes “a buffer zone”.
Citizens “will be able to live in their homes until their new home is ready,” indicated the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, during a press conference.
At the National Assembly on Thursday morning, the Minister Delegate for the Economy, Christopher Skeete, indicated that “no one will be forced to leave their house if it is not their choice”.
Creation of new homes
The sum of $88.3 million that will be disbursed by the Government of Quebec includes an amount of $58 million to create new housing in order to relocate residents of the Notre-Dame sector. The City and the government do not know where these homes will be erected and this operation could take several years.
Asked why the government, and not Glencore, will pay for the creation of a new district, Minister Laforest replied that the government has a responsibility to ensure “the health and well-being of citizens”.
The Minister explained that financial assistance will be available for tenants who will find a dwelling whose rent cost is higher than what they are currently paying.
“A psychosocial support intervention team will be available at all times,” added the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
The government intends to meet “every citizen” affected by the relocation in order to know their needs.
The authorities could, for example, “consider the mobility needs” of residents who do not have a vehicle, according to the information provided in the technical briefing.
Many low-income families live in the Notre-Dame district, and some of them could therefore obtain funding for their transportation needs if new homes are built far from the city center.
The $88.3 million envelope also includes a series of measures which, according to the government, “will make it possible to deepen knowledge of the impacts of the various contaminants emitted by the Horne smelter, stimulate local development, increase the attractiveness of the region, as well as to ensure the smooth running of the actions that will be taken”.
A target of 15 ng/m3 of arsenic in 2027
The government also unveiled the new ministerial authorization for the Horne smelter on Thursday.
This requires the company to meet the target of 15 nanograms per cubic meter (ng/m3) in year 5 of the authorization, i.e. in 2027.
The Ministry of the Environment also imposes arsenic emission thresholds of 65 ng / m3 in the year 2023 and 45 ng/m3 for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
The previous deal, which was signed with the Liberal government in 2017, allowed arsenic emissions from the smelter to reach an annual average of 100 ng/m3which is 33 times higher than the provincial standard, which is 3 ng/m3.
The government also requires the company to present an action plan by 2027, to eventually reach the standard of 3 ng / m3.
However, no timeline has been set for achieving this standard.
Cadmium, copper, nickel and lead too
The new permit also requires the smelter to reduce its releases of cadmium, copper, nickel and lead from 2027.
“I have the firm conviction that with the measures announced today, we are better protecting the health of the population of the Notre-Dame district and Rouyn-Noranda,” indicated the Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, in a statement.
The Horne Smelter is the only copper smelter in Canada. Its leaders have planned to react to the new authorization at the end of the afternoon on Thursday.