Madame,
At the meeting of the council of mayors of the MRC of Mékinac on Wednesday, June 19, the third version of the Interim Control Regulation (RCI) was briefly presented. To the great displeasure of the audience, this RCI adopts a separation distance between residences and wind turbines almost identical to that announced by TES Canada, namely approximately 800 meters for the RCI (4 times the height of the wind turbines of 200 meters) and 750 meters for TES Canada.
It seems obvious that this RCI meets the aspirations of the TES Canada project wanting to establish a wind farm of 130 industrial wind turbines in the territories of Mékinac and Chenaux as well as the wishes of the Ministry of Energy and the CAQ caucus which are blithely calling on the private sector supposedly for the decarbonization of Quebec, which several experts question with supporting demonstration.
Ms. LeBel, you have been able to see that a majority of the population has expressed strong opposition to this project for months. There is no doubt that it will be devastating, as TES Canada’s project notice itself admits: the quality of life destroyed by noise, the landscapes disfigured forever, a construction site lasting two or even three years, the pollution and possible impacts of groundwater contamination, irreparable damage to the environment, fauna and flora (and so on) during the construction and operation of these industrial wind turbines. Add to that the survival of countless species of endangered birds and animals present in one of the few remaining wild areas of the St. Lawrence Valley.
There is a strong fear that the MRC of Mékinac, strong in nature according to the old brand image, will lose its greatest wealth: nature! In favor of an industrial territory with villages and devitalized areas, without solidarity and where many are already thinking of selling or not renovating their cottages to settle there permanently. Imagine: in Saint-Adelphe alone, 22 to 29 wind turbines are planned by TES and, counting them all in the adjacent areas of Sainte-Thècle, Saint-Séverin, Saint-Prosper and Saint-Stanislas, there would be approximately 50! In short, enough to make many young families flee and repel future arrivals and nature and hunting tourists, you will agree…
Coming back to this session, given our dissatisfaction, Madam Prefect Caroline Clément as well as her fellow mayors invited the audience to share our grievances with you because they claim not to have the power to intervene to stop the project with your colleague, Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, nor that of presenting a more severe RCI because they fear the disapproval of the four ministries including that of Energy. “Help us to help you”, these are their words, because according to them, it seems that citizens are better placed than the mayors and the prefect to ask for your support and intervene with Mr. Fitzgibbon and Hydro-Québec.
No matter, I respond to this call and, as it was proposed during this session and on numerous occasions by citizens and organizations for months, we ask you, as a precautionary principle for the population, to ‘demand a moratorium for the TES Canada project from Hydro-Québec, the Minister of Energy and the CAQ in order to be able to collectively reflect and design better future public projects, for a real decarbonization of Quebec. The population of Mékinac and Chenaux largely supported your candidacy in the last elections; It is time for you to understand the legitimate concerns of citizens and respect their demands so that they can live peacefully and in harmony with nature on their territory.
You know very well that the BAPE only has the power to recommend, and in two years, whether you are a member of Parliament or not, it will be too late to back down on TES Canada’s financial commitments and their legal implications. Today, as a member of Parliament for a territory that we all cherish, your duty is to bring this demand to the CAQ, failing which your government and the MRC of Mékinac unfortunately risk going down in history, for having advocated and accepted this project that will disfigure in every sense of the word, the territory, the environment, the fauna, the flora and the social fabric for decades to come!
Nathalie Lefebvre
Saint-Adelphe
