Hazardous waste in Blainville: Quebec goes against the BAPE

The hazardous industrial waste cemetery of the American company Stablex, in Blainville, in the Laurentians, must be enlarged, judges the Minister of the Environment of Quebec, Benoit Charette, in a letter dated Tuesday, obtained by Radio-Canada, in which he threatens the City to take measures if it continues to oppose it. Last September, the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE) recommended not authorizing this project.

Benoit Charette thus puts pressure on the mayor of Blainville, Liza Poulin. I sincerely hope that the City of Blainville [revoie] his decision related to the sale of his land and she sits down with Stablex in order to find a passageway, very quickly.

In the absence of an agreement with Stablex, I do not rule out having to use other means at my disposal.

Formerly in favor of the expansion of the only place for processing and burial of dangerous inorganic industrial residues in Quebec, the mayor and all the elected officials of Blainville had changed their tune after following the hearings of the BAPE.

The report of BAPE mentioned the exceptional ecological value of certain sensitive natural environments of the project locationIn an ecological corridor connecting two vast wetland complexes.

In April 2023, Stablex requested authorization from the Legault government to double its capacity to bury 8 million cubic meters of additional materials over 40 years, or four times the volume of the Montreal Olympic Stadium.

At the time, citizens mobilized to prevent this project, especially since some of the waste, particularly heavy metals, comes from outside Quebec (Ontario and the United States). The Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) was also worried.

The target land of 69 hectares includes 54 hectares of forest habitat and 9 hectares of wetlands, all approximately one kilometer from agricultural irrigation basins.

In a press release, Mayor Poulin reaffirms his opposition to ceding the municipal territory required for the expansion of the factory’s activities. She informed the minister of this in recent days.

In the coming days, we will try to obtain all the information required regarding the territory concerned and the remedies available to us to oppose it.

By tearing up its agreement with Stablex, Blainville is giving up $14 million from the sale of the land.

Quebec warns of a breakdown in services in the management of hazardous waste

Since 1983, Stablex has operated the only treatment and landfill site for hazardous inorganic industrial residues in Quebec. The company responds to a need of many Quebec businessesexplains Minister Charette in his letter.

We generate waste, so it is our collective responsibility to be able to manage it safely.

At the current landfill rate, Stablex will reach the authorized capacity of its landfill in 2027. A decision regarding the continuation of its activities must therefore be made quicklywrites the minister, because it takes 18 to 24 months to prepare the site.

There is therefore an urgent need to actadds Benoit Charette. At the current rate, if an authorization is not issued soon, the industry will face a risk of service disruption, with all the consequences that this entails.

Stablex welcomes the minister’s intentions. This American company recalls thatThere’s no [de solution] alternative currently in Quebec to manage this dangerous waste which must end up somewhere.

The company has always insisted that its process is safe for life. Once completely filled, a cell is closed by a covering composed of a separation layer of sand, a layer of compacted clay and a waterproof geomembrane.

Plan B worse than plan A?

To succeed in its expansion project, Stablex has no choice but to come to an agreement with the City of Blainville, owner of the land in question. We must find new solutions capable of satisfying the City. The door is opensays company spokesperson Maxime Couture.

Both Stablex and the minister, in his letter, put forward the same argument: if the project is not carried out on the Blainville land, it will have to be carried out on company land, 300 meters from the residences, rather than at 1 kilometer.

There would be of the [problèmes] noise, dust and odorswarns the minister. 000trucks per year for the first four years, which would represent a [problème] for the safety of travel in the region.”,”text”:”In addition, the extraction of clay present on this site would generate traffic of approximately 20,000 trucks per year for the first four years, which would represent a [problème] for the safety of travel in the region.”}}”>In addition, the extraction of clay present on this site would generate traffic of approximately 20,000 trucks per year for the first four years, which would represent a [problème] for the safety of travel in the region.

Quebec has the right to go against the BAPE

The government is not obliged to follow the recommendations of the BAPEalthough this makes the authorization more difficult to justify publicly.

Last week, the Ministry of the Environment prepared the ground by making public the results of sampling carried out on the site.

The Stablex landfill site in Blainville complies with current environmental regulations and authorizationswrote the ministry after having the surface water and groundwater tested, as well as after having an inspection of the landfill site carried out.

No breach of environmental regulations or ministerial authorizations issued to the company was observedeven if the ministry noted some anomalies […] in groundwaterbut isolated and not worrying.

In the past, however, officials at the Ministry of the Environment had expressed concerns about what would happen when the company ceased operations.

Minister Charette says he is ready for an adjustment: that the project be authorized for an additional 24 years rather than the 40 years initially envisaged.

His office ensures thatno decision by the minister has been rendered on the file and BAPE are taken into consideration and make it possible to improve the project so that it is more acceptable”,”text”:”as in any environmental assessment, the BAPE recommendations are taken into consideration and make it possible to improve the project so that this one is more acceptable”}}”>as in any environmental assessment, the recommendations of the BAPE are taken into consideration and make it possible to improve the project so that it is more acceptable.

The opposition shocked

CAQ goes against the recommendations of the BAPE and the wishes of the City of Blainville and the citizens. This is not acceptable”,”text”:”With this decision, the CAQ goes against the recommendations of the BAPE and the wishes of the City of Blainville and the citizens. This is not acceptable”}}”>With this decision, the CAQ goes against the recommendations of the BAPE and the wishes of the City of Blainville and the citizens. It’s not acceptablereacts the spokesperson for Québec solidaire on environmental matters, Alejandra Zaga Mendez.

BAPE recommends its rejection. Why does the government persist in supporting this bad project?”,”text”:”The City of Blainville does not want it, nor do the citizens, the BAPE recommends its rejection. Why does the government persist in supporting this bad project?”}}”>The City of Blainville does not want it, nor do the citizens, the BAPE recommends its rejection. Why does the government persist in supporting this bad project? asks the Parti Québécois environment spokesperson, Joël Arseneau.

Once again, the Minister of the Environment abdicates his role by going against the recommendations, adds liberal Virginie Dufour. She deplores that the minister seems to want to overstep municipal autonomy by rejecting the decision of the City of Blainville.

Very active in this issue, the head of Climat Québec, Martine Ouellet, describes the minister’s position as more than irresponsible. According to her, it would be possible to increase the lifespan of the cell currently in operation by refusing to import waste from the United States.