Ressources Falco, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the mayor of Rouyn-Noranda wanted the project to be presented to the Office of public hearings on the environment. (Archive photo)
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Falco Resources' Horne 5 project in Rouyn-Noranda obtains authorization to go before the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE). The Ministry of the Environment had been blocking the project for several months due to the already excessive presence of metals in the air in Rouyn-Noranda.
The company obtained a notice of admissibility of their impact study from the Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette.
This decision means that a broad public consultation will begin in the coming weeks in Rouyn-Noranda to conclude with the BAPE hearings.
< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">It was a big job, a colossal job that required years of study with experts, with the community. It's truly an incredible achievement and I can't help but thank the population for their support, the confidence they gave us to persevere and succeed. we continue, says Hélène Cartier, vice-president environment, sustainable development and community relations at Ressources Falco.
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Hélène Cartier, vice-president environment for Falco Resources, says she now wishes to have the opportunity to hear citizens' concerns . (Archive photo)
Air quality in Rouyn-Noranda
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Air quality in Rouyn-Noranda
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The project was blocked because the Ministry applied a regulation on air purification which stipulates that a project cannot be authorized if it is likely to add contaminants to the air, the concentration of which is already higher than the standards in force.
In Rouyn-Noranda, ambient air already exceeds standards for arsenic, barium, cadmium, copper, nickel and lead.
Representatives of Falco Resources, the Rouyn-Noranda Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Mayor Diane Dallaire had all publicly demanded that the minister authorize the company to appear before the BAPE, judging that emissions from the Horne mine 5 would be weak and would have little impact on the community.
Hélène Cartier specifies that discussions on this subject are continuing with the Ministry of the Environment and that the matter has not yet been resolved. The Ministry's experts will position themselves on this question at the same time as the BAPE will carry out its analysis with the community. The answer to this question will come later, perhaps at the end of the year or early 2025, she explains
Hélène Cartier is aware that the media crisis surrounding the situation on arsenic and the Horne Foundry has slowed down the analysis process of their impact study.
This is an opportunity for everyone to come and talk about their concerns, we still have to be able to to adjust our project so that it is a satisfactory project for all stakeholders, she explains.
