Quebec cancels meeting with Blainville mayor over expansion of toxic waste dump
CBC
The Quebec government is backing out of a meeting it had set for today with the mayor of Blainville, Que., to discuss the expansion of a hazardous waste dump.
In a statement to Radio-Canada, Natural Resources Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina cited the mayor's "change in direction regarding the topics she wanted to address."
Mayor Liza Poulin has resisted the expansion project. She says the land eyed by the government is located in a large peat bog, an ecosystem of high ecological value.
Bill 93, tabled by the province last month, would force Blainville to cede the land to the government so American company Stablex can build a sixth dumping site — something the company says needs to happen before 2027 when it's set to reach full capacity.
Poulin requested an emergency meeting with Premier François Legault last week to discuss the protections of Blainville's peatland and municipal autonomy.
After it was granted, she specified she wanted to see the environmental studies supporting the government's rationale and understand why it was seemingly acting against its own environmental objectives.
She also wanted to know why the government was awarding special privileges to an American company in the current political context.
Blanchette Vézina cancelled the meeting Sunday in a letter obtained by Radio-Canada, saying that instead, she'll gladly hear out Poulin during consultation hearings on the bill.
"You wanted to share Blainville's position. However, you've decided to impose new conditions," said Blanchette-Vézina in her letter.
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