Electricity transmission line in Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard

Quebec is taking “major” measures very late to force Hydro-Québec to stop polluting the waterways along the route of the electricity transmission line under construction in Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard. The prior notice sent last December details in 37 pages the multiple violations of the Environmental Quality Act that the contractor incurred during his work, under the nose of Hydro-Québec, which was monitoring everything. And pressure had to be exerted for months on the MELCC for the first actions to be taken. As highlighted by Mr. Alain Saladzius during an interview with CIME FM, how can we explain such blunders by a state-owned company that builds hundreds of kilometers of power lines each year? However, such work near waterways is commonplace in Quebec, a land of rivers. Were there any privileges? Simple incompetence cannot justify the situation at a state-owned company.

The MELCC order submitted to Hydro-Québec today remains very timid and very late on the eve of the melting of the snow which will begin shortly, causing strong pressure on the soil. The MELCC should certainly impose effective working methods to stem the imminently feared pollution. Let us recall the powers of the minister in this case:

Section 114 of the Environmental Quality Act:

When a person or municipality does not comply with a provision of this Act, one of its regulations, an authorization, an order, an approval, a certificate, an accreditation or of a certification issued under them, in particular by carrying out work, construction, structures or any other activity in contravention of one of them, the Minister may, on the conditions he sets, order this person or municipality one or more of the following measures to remedy the situation:

1° cease, modify or limit the exercise of the activity concerned, to the extent it determines;

(2) reduce or cease the release of contaminants into the environment, as well as install or use any equipment or device necessary for this purpose, where applicable;

3° demolish, in whole or in part, the work, constructions or structures concerned;

4° restore the premises, in whole or in part, to the state they were in before this work, construction, works or other activities began or in a state close to it;

5° implement compensatory measures;

6° take any other measure that the Minister considers necessary to correct the situation.

The Minister may also, when he considers it necessary to ensure monitoring of environmental quality, order the owner, tenant or any other person responsible for a place where there is a source of contamination to install, within the time frame and at the location it designates, any category or type of equipment or device for the purpose of measuring the concentration, quality or quantity of any contaminant and require the person responsible to transmit the data collected according to the modalities that it determines.

The Minister may also order the owner, tenant or any other person responsible for a place where a source of contamination is located to install the works he deems necessary, within the time frame and at the location he designates. , to allow him to take samples, analyze any source of contamination or install any equipment or device described in the second paragraph and require him to transmit the data collected according to the terms and conditions he determines.