Eau Secours News Today

Quebec has lifted the veil of secrecy around the province’s biggest water users, revealing that billions of litres of water are used in a year by the mining and metal industry, along with pulp and paper manufacturing.

First Nations communities in northern Quebec are pushing back against a company's plans to set up a mining operation. They say the project would ruin their traditional fishing and hunting ground.

Organizations and citizens are asking the federal environment minister to launch an environmental impact study of the Lac-Megantic rail bypass project. They are particularly concerned about the impact on drinking water resources and wetlands.

Two Quebec environmental organizations say theyre concerned about the federal governments approval of the James Bay lithium mine project. Eau Secours and the Regroupement Vigilance Mines de lAbitibi et du Témiscamingue (REVIMAT) are concerned about the potential arsenic contamination of water from the mine, which plans to extract 5,480 tonnes of ore per day for 15 to 20 years.

The Quebec government is moving toward increasing the amount it charges commercial water users, in what amounts to an early campaign promise months before the next election. 

Climate change experts say that within 10 years, farmland in southern Quebec will need to be irrigated to maintain the same yields it has now, and that Quebec must change its water regulations if it wants to set its own water-use priorities before climate change forces it to make painful choices.

Quebec environment groups say they are going to court to lift the veil on the millions of litres of water collected by Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Naya, Eska and others every year.