The Parti Quebecois government in the province of Quebec is investing $115 million C in oil exploration in a sensitive area of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Anticosti Island is 217 km long and 16 – 48 km wide with a population of about 250 people. It will soon be the sight of drilling into the shale rock that runs underneath to see whether the oil detected is the right type and in sufficient quantities to exploit commercially.
Three private companies, Petrolia, Junex and Corridor Resources, own permits covering 98 per cent of the island now. The next stage of development will be undertaken by their new partners, Maurel & Prom, the multinational oil company based in France, Resources Quebec, the provincial government agency and a third, yet to named company.
Quebec imports about $14 billion C worth of foreign oil annually. Premier Pauline Marois described the investment as a step toward “energy independence” that ensures Quebecers control and profit from their natural resources. She said potential economic spinoffs of $45 billion C over 30 years make the investment worth the risk.
Andre Belisle of the AQLPA (the Quebec Association to stop air pollution) joined other environmental leaders in condemning the government’s investment. He says there is no plan, no strategy to deal with global warming, and he says working on Anticosti Island in the often severe winter weather will cause problems.
Martine Ouellet, Quebec’s Natural Resources Minister said the environmental impact will be closely monitored. The upcoming exploration work will take place within a square kilometre.
Carmel Kilkenny spoke with Andre Belisle of the AQLPA:
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