Accused of having lied, the Port of Quebec retorts that the solidarity member of Jean-Lesage, Sol Zanetti, made “inexact and defamatory” remarks about him regarding the issue of nickel in the air in the Limoilou district, in Quebec.
Radio-Canada reported last week that there had been three exceedances of nickel standards in the air in Limoilou last winter. On August 29, the CEO of the Port, Mario Girard, affirmed that there had been no exceedances for a year based on sampling stations “in the community”.
Still according to information from Radio-Canada, the station which measured the three exceedances does not belong to the Port, but rather to the Ministry of the Environment.
In a press release published Monday, the Port of Quebec indicates that Mario Girard was indeed talking about the Port’s sampling stations. “During the press conference on August 29, in the presence of Minister Benoit Charette and the mayor of Quebec, the president and CEO of the Port of Quebec affirmed that the Port’s sampling stations installed in the community had not recorded no excess of the nickel standard for more than a year, more precisely since May 2022. This information is strictly accurate,” we can read.
Zanetti persists and signs
The Port of Quebec indicates that it is not considering legal action against the Jean-Lesage solidarity MP for the moment. Monday morning at a press briefing, Sol Zanetti maintained his line.
“The Port seems to want to add details to what it said on August 29, but a month too late. What he said on August 29 was unclear and we can say that they were lies,” he said.
“I am tired of the fact that in Quebec we are being bullshitter by people who do not care about people’s health and the quality of the air in Quebec and here I am talking about Mario Girard,” added the MP.
On Friday, Mr. Zanetti also demanded accountability from the Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, whom he accused of having “lied by omission” about exceeding nickel standards. According to the elected official, the minister should have corrected the facts during the press conference on August 29.
“He did not correct the Port of Quebec which was telling him something that was not true and I think he knew that it was not true. Its role is to inform us and protect us,” said Sol Zanetti on Friday.
Minister Charette asked for an apology from the supportive elected official, but he is still waiting for one.
Air pollution is monitored in Limoilou, particularly due to the nickel transshipment activities of the Port of Quebec.
The nickel saga
Remember that in March 2022, the Legault government announced an increase in the authorized nickel thresholds.
The Commission on Ethics in Science and Technology has also issued a summary and a call for caution in this regard.
At the recommendation of an interministerial group, it is now permitted to emit five times more nickel particles into the air, from 14 to 70 nanograms per cubic meter (ng/m3) per day, as well as 20 ng / m3 on average per year.
For what ? Because we expect a sharp increase in the price of nickel due in particular to the growth of the market for batteries intended for electric vehicles, summarized the Ethics Commission. An overly restrictive standard could discourage investors, the committee believed. Mining companies already operating in Quebec like Glencore were demanding flexibility.
The 18 regional public health directorates have spoken out against this increase.
Among other things, we mentioned the multiple uncertainties linked to the accumulation of risks and the additive effect of several pollutants in the air.
The Interministerial Committee for its part considered that it was safe to aim for an annual standard of 20 ng/m3, both for critical respiratory problems and for the carcinogenic effects associated with repeated exposure to nickel.