Toxic waste site approved to expand

Quebec’s highest court this week dismissed the city of Blainville’s request to halt the expansion of a hazardous waste site in the area, the latest development in a legal battle that the city says could cause damage to wetlands and woods nearby.

Blainville, which is located on the North Shore about 40 KM from Kahnawake, had previously requested an injunction at the Quebec Superior Court, which was rejected at the start of April. That injunction asked that Stablex, an American company that owns a hazardous waste landfill site in Blainville, be prevented from expanding their operations into protected land.

The Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government ushered in Bill 93 at the end of March, which controversially expropriates a lot of land in Blainville without the city’s consent, in order to be used by Stablex.

Expansion work on the land was to wrap up by April 15, when new regulations on migratory birds came into effect.

Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) chief Ross Montour said that Council has been keeping an eye on developments. He said he has reached out to the Environment Ministry to discuss the topic of appropriate consultation, but hasn’t yet heard back.

“To me, it’s yet again another wetland being degraded,” Montour said.

Stablex said that it’s urgent they be given the expropriated land to expand, because they claim their site will have reached full storage capacity within two years – the same length of time it’ll take to prepare a new site for expansion.

But the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) estimates that there might be room at the current site until as far away as 2030.

Stablex maintains that the expansion is necessary.

“We need to understand that hazardous materials management is an essential service. When we take a can of paint to the Ecocentre, or when we dispose of a battery, we must ensure that waste is managed safely,” said Maxime Couture, a spokesperson for Stablex.

He added that Stablex accepts materials like paint cans, soiled aluminium foil, and batteries, but does not accept radioactive materials or biomedical waste, which is processed outside of Quebec. He said that they are working with the Ministry of the Environment to ensure the “least possible impact on the environment” – but Montour said he’s hesitant to trust the ministry.

“We have a history of difficulty working with the Ministry of Environment for Quebec about the filling in of wetlands, for instance at Northvolt, and so that immediately caught our eye,” Montour said.

Environment and Climate Change Canada said it had inspected the expansion project site to ensure compliance with its regulations on April 7 and will “continue to follow the situation closely.” It did not respond to The Eastern Door’s follow-up request to seek clarity on the impacts of the site on wetlands in the area.

The passage of Bill 93 to allow the expansion was controversial – it was adopted by a vote of 61-31, in a session that started at 5 p.m. and continued throughout the night.

Opposition parties rejected the bill, with many critical of the government’s decision to support Stablex.

“The CAQ is ready to kneel before the company and give it everything it asks for,” said Liberal member of National Assembly Virginie Dufour, per the Montreal Gazette.

At the beginning of April, a protest was held in Blainville, attended by community members, municipal officials, and Blainville’s mayor Liza Poulin.

Poulin said that the city had proposed another site for the expansion that would not be on Blainville’s land, but that site was rejected by the government and Stablex because it was too close to residential areas.

Couture said that site is around 300 metres from residents and would mean two years of 40,000 trucks passing through to prepare for expansion, adding that that site too contains 7.6 acres of protected wetlands.

The current site, where expansion work is set to begin, is home to nine hectares of wetlands and 58 hectares of woods.

Montour said that the MCK will be keeping an eye on the situation as it develops.

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