The McInnis cement plant must become more transparent to regain public confidence after episodes of sticky dust, Health and Environment Minister Benoit Charette believes.
• Also read: The McInnis Cement Plant hid information from the Department of the Environment
• Also read: Quebec Grants McInnis Cement Plant A New Delay
• Also read: Cimenterie McInnis’ trust shattered
“There is clearly a breach of trust compared to what was promised because it was going to be a very clean facility,” says Dr. Yv Bonnier Viger, Regional Director of Public Health in Gaspésie (DRSP). And there’s a glitch because people aren’t getting real-time updates on what’s happening or what the company is doing to correct the situation. »
Our investigating agency revealed yesterday that for two months in the summer of 2020, the cement plant had given inaccurate information to the Ministry of the Environment by failing to tell it that the sticky dust it emitted was dumped on its neighbors’ land. .
“It is totally unacceptable that McInnis is giving us inaccurate information. The company should invest more to respond to the many complaints and concerns from citizens,” responded Environment Minister Benoit Charette’s attaché, Rosalie Tremblay-Cloutier.
These dust episodes have been occurring regularly for two years and are causing stress among the population, stressed Dr. Bonnie Viger.
“Unbearable”
“It’s unacceptable to have a company that is indiscriminately releasing dust, even if it doesn’t cause an immediate health problem, but an ongoing stress problem that can be dangerous to your health,” he laments.
In his opinion, in order to rectify the situation, it is essential that the company is transparent. “It would mean that they are serious about wanting to rectify the situation,” the doctor adds.
The latter, as well as ministry officials, may have met with residents of Port-Daniel-Gascons last week to reassure them of the small risk that this dust would pose. Several residents remain concerned.
“People have expressed that they don’t trust the company’s data,” he says. In addition, according to Public Health, this data does not make it possible to detect spikes of sticky dust.
Independent data
Citizens and the group Environnement Vert Plus demand independent data in real time.
“One of the claims is that the company […] immediately informs when there are dust clouds so that the information can be collected accurately,” says Yv Bonnier Viger, who supports this proposal.
The government is threatening to issue an order to force the cement plant to comply with the law. However, the latter received two extensions of the deadline for submitting its comments. She now has until August 31 to do so.
“This second extension application is the last the Department will accept and it is imperative that McInnis comply with our environmental laws and regulations,” the Minister’s attaché said.
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?