Cement McInnis increases the release of dust and contaminants into the atmosphere to the point where the Ministry of the Environment threatens to use an order to force a company to comply with the law.

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As the Journal de Montréal revealed in 2020, the cement plant, which is the biggest polluter in Quebec, emits sticky dust. These episodes recurred in the summer and fall of 2021.

Several notices of non-compliance have been given to the company and a criminal investigation is even underway. Moreover, because of the investigation, the ministry has so far refused to provide us with several pieces of information.

We now learn that the problem of dust and contaminants is even more important. Between August 12, 2020 and September 8, 2021, there were at least 10 equipment failures that led to dust episodes on the plant site. As of May 31, 2022, the ministry has received 80 reports and 11 complaints, in particular from residents neighboring the plant.

In a statement released Thursday, the Ministry of the Environment confirms that the problem is regular and continues, despite the investigation and several notices of non-compliance urging it to comply. The ministry therefore now intends to compel the company to comply with the law by means of an order. However, it has the obligation to send him a notice to inform him of its intentions, which was done on June 30.

Cement McInnis has 15 days to make its case and the minister can then decide whether to go ahead with the order.

According to this notice, we also learn that in addition to dust, the cement plant emits particles into the atmosphere that exceed the standards, that it did not send its sampling reports on time or indicate whether measures to correct the situation have been put in place.

If the ordinance is applied, Ciment McInnis will have to stop rejecting contaminants beyond the standards, award a contract to an independent expert to assess the air purification equipment, submit a dust control plan and atmospheric contaminant in addition to providing an independent certificate confirming that the work for the control of contaminants is compliant.

False green promises

Remember that the cement plant, which cost $1.55 billion and has been in operation since 2017 and which is now the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Quebec, has not respected several green promises it made in 2014 to to reassure the population about its environmental impact.

Since the Beaudoin-Bombardier family relaunched the project in 2012, the cement plant has always been controversial. In addition to the public funds swallowed up, it also managed to avoid an independent analysis by the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE).

Last February, we also revealed that the company was sanctioned very little for its shortcomings. In addition to non-compliance notices concerning dust episodes, Ciment McInnis has only received $5,000 in fines and around ten non-compliance notices since 2014 for various environmental incidents.