Quebec lawmakers are asking New Brunswick to consider the possible impacts of a mine proposed for Dalhousie, N.B., before the project goes ahead.
A motion tabled in the National Assembly of Quebec on Friday also says the province’s Public Health Department plans to study how the project may affect residents on the Chaleur Bay opposite the mine.
Proponent EcoRock, formed by Quebec companies Carboniq Inc. and Cimbec Canada Inc., has proposed expanding a quarry in Dalhousie into an open-pit, pozzolan mine.
But the motion from Matane-Matapédia member Pascale Bérubé raises concern about how the project might impact the health and quality of life of nearby Quebec residents.
Hundreds of residents filled a meeting room at the Dalhousie Recreaplex in September to voice their concerns and ask questions about the project. (Victoria Walton/CBC)
The project has received mixed reviews from northern New Brunswick residents.
Some are supportive as Ottawa has estimated up to 500 jobs during the plant’s construction and 168 permanent jobs once complete. That’s in a region that has seen several large industrial employers shut down over the years.
However, others such as the members of citizen group Non merci, Pozzolan Dalhousie have raised concern about the potential for environmental impacts like water and air pollution.
EcoRock was met with some of those concerns during several recent public meetings, where hundreds attended to voice concerns and ask questions.
The company also held a separate public meeting in Gaspésie.
Bérubé said the Parti Québécois brought the motion in response to citizen concerns with the project, which he says is a major topic of conversation in the region.
“So first of all, it [the motion] sends the message that we know [concern] exists,” he told Radio-Canada. “We’re asking the New Brunswick government to take precautions, and then we’re going to monitor them, and that’s pretty much the message.”
CBC News has sought comment from the New Brunswick government and is awaiting a response.