Conservatives want to switch nickel transshipments to Levies

Quebec | To improve air quality in Limoilou, the Conservatives want to “strongly recommend” to the port authority that the nickel transfer be done in Lévis instead of Quebec.

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Quebec’s Conservative Party candidate in Jean-Lesage, Denis Peter, made the announcement when he received Eric Duhaime for the inauguration of his electoral office in lower Quebec City.

“There is an air quality problem in the Jean-Lesage district, Mrs. Peter explained before a small crowd of about forty people. With the third bridge connection (sic), we will transfer the unloading of hazardous materials such as nickel (…) to the other side in the industrial sector of Lévis.

Since 2017, the Port Authority has an option to purchase 270 hectares of land on the south bank. “It’s been good for five years and we’re still in the validation process, explains Frédéric Lagasse, communications director of the Port of Quebec. We’re not the owner yet.

Moments later, the Conservative leader qualified his candidate’s pledge during his speech. “It’s not up to us to decide that, it’s the Port of Quebec,” he admitted in response to questions from the Journal. “The right contracts, how are they going to do it, are they going to do it in an incentive way or in a mandatory way, you have to ask the Port of Quebec, we’re not the ones managing the port.”

So this is not strictly speaking an electoral commitment, but rather an idea, considering the many factors that can influence the possibility of implementing this situation, Eric Duheim added.

“We are determined to intervene with the port authorities and strongly recommend that it be done,” he explained. But you, like me, know that there are federal jurisdictions and that there is port autonomy. We will respect everyone’s jurisdiction,” he said.

Eric Duheim finally believes that the move will be possible if the port authorities acquire land in the industrial sector of Levis and the third link is a bridge to the east instead of a tunnel.

“We may have some material dumped on the other side of the river rather than the north bank. It can be done in a less populated district on the south coast,” said the former radio presenter.