Tag Archives: May 18 2022

The huge recycling sorting centre and incinerator in Limoilou handles over 300,000 tonnes of waste material each year, as well as sludge from two water treatment plants. It operates non-stop, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. (Screenshot from Google Maps)

Report raises concerns about incinerator data

Report raises concerns about incinerator data

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

ruby@qctonline.com

A recent report by a Quebec City-based chemist has called into question the methods used to measure contaminants emitted by the municipal incinerator in Lower Town.

Patrick Ferland lives in Limoilou, holds a master’s degree in organic and organometallic chemistry and teaches chemistry at two area CEGEPs. In a 66-page report released earlier this month, the self-described “indignant citizen chemist” explained what he saw as flaws in the methodology used to measure chemicals in incinerator emissions.

In April, the Ville de Québec released a brief statement saying that evaluations conducted in January had found that levels of “filtrable particles, mercury, dioxins and furans … as well as emissions of heavy metals such as arsenic, nickel, cadmium and lead, respect all existing environmental norms and adequate criteria.”

“I can’t affirm that the incinerator is polluting more than the city says it is,” said Ferland, who weighs his words cautiously before speaking. “I don’t know if levels of pollutants are underestimated. What I can say is that they’re not well estimated.”

Ferland said the biannual sampling of the incinerator’s emissions is insufficient to get a thorough picture of how its activities affect air quality in Lower Town. “Tests are run on the incinerator twice a year over a three-day period for four hours a day,” he explained. “For an incinerator that functions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, that’s very little. We’re drawing conclusions from very limited sampling.”

In the report, partially funded by the office of MNA Sol Zanetti, Ferland calls into question three evaluations of incinerator emissions conducted by the Ministère de l’environnement et de la lutte contre le changement climatique (MELCC) over the past 15 years. The report asserts that in at least one study, in 2008, some readings that surpassed acceptable levels were omitted from the data released. Ferland also notes that the two sampling stations from which the MELCC draws its data are not within the “hotspots” where levels of contaminants are highest. He cites a 2022 report by the province’s own Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) recommending that sampling of incinerator emissions be conducted more often.

“These tests are critical – they’re our only way to discover what people are breathing – and what we do every year is based on only two tests,” he reiterated. “That’s entirely insufficient. As a citizen, I’m not reassured.”

In April, the Quebec government approved a controversial regulation raising the allowable level of nickel in the atmosphere, despite the opposition of Quebec City Council and a number of community groups representing people living near the Port of Québec. At that time, Environment Minister Benoit Charette announced a working group to look more closely at the multiple causes of air pollution in Limoilou, including heavy metals from the port, the incinerator and wood stove and motor vehicle emissions.

MELCC spokesperson Sophie Gauthier said the environment ministry had received a copy of Ferland’s report. “The MELCC is following the issue closely in order to assure that laws are respected,” she said, adding that the working group is expected to release its recommendations Dec. 1.

“That’s a short time frame to look at such a complex problem, but if there’s hope, maybe it’s there,” said Ferland. “I’d be honoured if they read my report.”

A request for comment from Mayor Bruno Marchand’s office was not answered by press time. He has previously said the city needed to work with the port and the MELCC to install additional sampling stations. Gauthier said data from current sampling stations was “sufficiently conclusive with regard to the impact of the incinerator on air quality.”

The huge recycling sorting centre and incinerator in Limoilou handles over 300,000 tonnes of waste material each year, as well as sludge from two water treatment plants. It operates non-stop, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. (Screenshot from Google Maps)
This hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai 2022 Limited starts at $66,000 and generates zero emissions. (Photo by Cassandra Kerwin)

Soaring gas prices spark interest in electric car show

Soaring gas prices spark interest in electric car show  Cassandra Kerwin cassandra@qctonline.com The Centre de Foires was the place to ask questions about electric-powered vehicles, scooters, motorbikes and electric bikes…

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Musicians of La Fanfarniente della Strada, wearing an outlandish array of colourful clothing, parade around Place Jean-Béliveau. (Photo by Danielle Burns)

Inaugural Fiestra mixes art forms at Place Jean-Béliveau

Inaugural Fiestra mixes art forms at Place Jean-Béliveau Danielle Burns danielle@qctonline.com In a press release, Fiestra organizers asked, “What do a juggler, a singer, a pianist, a trampolinist, a bass…

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The cast of Don Giovanni receives a rousing ovation from the young audience. In the front row are Geoffroy Salvas, Florie Valiquette, Jonathan Boyd, Anaïs Constans, Philippe Sly (centre, the unscrupulous seducer), Doug MacNaughton, Julie Boulianne and Alain Coulombe. (Photo by Shirley Nadeau)

REVIEW: Opéra de Québec presents the seductive Don Giovanni

REVIEW: Opéra de Québec presents the seductive Don Giovanni Shirley Nadeau shirley@qctonline.com The Opéra de Québec presented Mozart’s masterpiece Don Giovanni in its original Italian version with French surtitles, at…

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There’s nothing like a public beheading for Snow White (Olyvia Hallé) with her sister the Snow Queen (Sophie Demers, right) and their father the King (Thomas Offer, wearing the crown, centre) watching.

REVIEW: QHS students take the crown in Game of Tiaras

REVIEW: QHS students take the crown in Game of Tiaras  Cassandra Kerwin cassandra@qctonline.com On May 13 and 14, spectators laughed their way through the Quebec High School production of Game…

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A portion of Roxanne Charles’ piece The Strata of Many Truths represents the desire to discover knowledge passed down through generations. This piece makes people think about who they are, their place in their community and society, and their impact. This is one of the many works of art displayed in the Land Back exhibit at the Maison des Jésuites de Sillery. (Photo by Cassandra Kerwin)

REVIEW: Land Back movement inspires exhibit of First Nations art

REVIEW: Land Back movement inspires exhibit of First Nations art Cassandra Kerwin cassandra@qctonline.com Looking to take back what was once theirs, First Nations people across Canada have started the Land…

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The Ilôt des Palais is a historical and archeological site which showcases the voûtes or remains of the palaces of the intendants of New France, the king’s stores, the prisons, and the Jean Talon and Boswell breweries as part of an immersive exhibition. (Photo by Shirley Nadeau)

Ilôt des Palais highlights 100 years of nightlife in Quebec City

Ilôt des Palais highlights 100 years of nightlife in Quebec City Charles André Nadeau canadeau@qctonline.com The Ilôt des Palais, located in Lower Town in a quadrangle bordered by Rues des…

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Director Guy Rodgers explains the five symbols of the Montreal flag – representing the French, English, Scottish, Irish and Indigenous communities – during What We Choose to Remember. (Screenshot)

New film dispels clichés about Quebec anglophones

New film dispels clichés about Quebec anglophones

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

ruby@qctonline.com

Old clichés about Quebec’s English- speaking communities die hard. In certain circles, the echoing voices of obstinate factory-floor supervisors and department store assistants of decades past who wouldn’t deign to learn French have never quite faded away.

What We Choose to Remember, a documentary by independent filmmaker and English Language Arts Network (ELAN) founder Guy Rodgers, aims to paint a more modern and nuanced picture of Quebec’s English speakers.

The film grew out of Waves of Change, a series of six videos Rodgers co-produced with ELAN in mid-2021. Those videos explored the experiences of six groups of English-speaking Quebecers – those whose families arrived in the province before 1945, between 1945 and 1970, between 1970 and 1995, between 1995 and 2010 and between 2010 and 2020, and those who lived outside of Montreal.

Perhaps surprisingly for those whose perceptions of the English-speaking community are limited to the archetypal factory-floor supervisor, each group includes people from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds. After the release of the web series, Rodgers decided to package some of the remaining material into a film that traces the history of Quebec through the experiences of these English speakers. “We tend to think of Quebec anglophones as a bunch of old British colonels, almost, but that’s not the reality,” he said.

Rodgers observes that relatively few participants fit the “White Anglo-Saxon Protestant” mould, and even those who are white and Protestant are more likely to call themselves Celtic than Anglo- Saxon. Many are second- or third-generation immigrants who adopted English as a primary language because the Church-run schools of the early- to mid-20th century didn’t accept students who weren’t Catholic; it wasn’t until after the passage of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) in 1977 that immigrant students were automatically funneled into the French public school system.

Although some participants, especially in the two pre-Bill 101 cohorts, acknowledge that their French is limited, all of them are bilingual, trilingual or striving to improve their language skills. Several speak three or four languages in daily life.

Rodgers, who arrived in Montreal in 1980 from Western Canada via Australia, set out to challenge the way the story of English-speaking Quebecers is usually told, both inside and outside the community.

“I’ve always felt that the people who tend to defend the English-speaking community most strongly are sort of the ‘old guard’ anglos. A lot of people who are newer or who are from more diverse backgrounds [wonder] ‘Am I part of that?’ People whose families have not been here since 1760 have still made valuable contributions, and the richness of what they have brought to Quebec is exactly what people need to know about,” Rodgers said.

The film also aims to counteract what Rodgers calls a “deliberate process of portraying anglophones and immigrants in a negative light” in the French-language public education system. He recalled an experience in the early 2000s, when he had been hired as a consultant by Pointe-à-Callière, the main history museum in Montreal, to make the museum’s introductory video more representative of the anglophone experience: “I wanted to include Irish labourers who built the Victoria Bridge, and that was refused by the rest of the [consultative] committee. They did not want to portray poor anglophones.”

However, numerous recent studies have belied the stereotype of the wealthy anglophone. A study released in February by the Provincial Employment Round Table, for example, found that anglophones, on average, earn less than francophones in 14 of the province’s 17 regions.

Rodgers said he believes these stereotypes have lived on due to a concerted effort to pit francophone Quebecers against perceived outsiders to increase the chances of a “Yes” victory in a future sovereignty referendum. “The more you create an ‘us versus them’ dynamic, the easier it is to push toward a simple solution,” he said. “It takes centuries to combat these deeply ingrained ideas. Even now, when some people see exceptions, they say ‘Oh, this person’s a good anglo, not a real anglo.’”

Much of the work that went into the film predated the current debate on Bill 96, the wide-ranging reform to the Charter of the French Language that the National Assembly has debated for much of the past year. “I’m hoping this film can defuse some of the tension [around Bill 96] and help people recognize that anglophones and allophones are actually valuable citizens who agree with the francophone community on a lot of things, including the necessity to protect and promote French,” Rodgers said.

What We Choose to Remember premiered at the Hudson Film Festival on May 13. It is available on the website of the Hudson Film Society until May 22, with plans for further distribution. A version with French subtitles is also forthcoming.

Director Guy Rodgers explains the five symbols of the Montreal flag – representing the French, English, Scottish, Irish and Indigenous communities – during What We Choose to Remember. (Screenshot)