DUST IN LIMOILOU: THE PORT OF QUÉBEC IS SATISFIED WITH THE JUDGEMENT OF THE COURT OF APPEAL

07/25/2023

Québec, July 25, 2023 – The Port of Québec acknowledges the recent judgment of the Quebec Court of Appeal, which confirms the conclusions reached by the Superior Court in March 2020 that dust emissions coming from the port territory do not [translation] “contribute in any significant way toward the excess dust” in the Limoilou sector and that “the health of the residents in the Zone […] has not been compromised by the dust emissions.”

In their decision, Justices Guy Gagnon, Michel Beaupré and Frédéric Bachand underlined the strength and credibility of the expertise presented by the Port of Québec at trial.

Ongoing efforts 
While satisfied with these efforts, the Port of Québec is committed to continuing and intensifying ongoing efforts in collaboration with the Ville de Québec to increase the air quality of the city’s lower town and benefit its residents. Numerous mitigation measures have already been put in place in recent years and others will be implemented in the wake of recent reports from the regional public health authorities and Air Contamination Working Group.

President and CEO Mario Girard noted that “The Court of Appeal ruling has confirmed what scientific expertise has been demonstrating for years – that the activities of the Port of Québec are only responsible for a small proportion of the emissions in the city’s lower town.” 

“That being said, the Port of Québec remains firmly committed to contributing, to the best of its abilities, toward improving the air quality in the sector. We can always do better. We will, therefore, continue to exercise our leadership in this area in collaboration with our partners, including community members, the Ville de Québec and the Government of Quebec.”

About the Port of Québec
One of the five largest ports in Canada in terms of tonnage handled and economic benefits, the Port of Québec is strategically located to serve the industrial and agricultural heart of North America. Annually, cargo ships coming from or going to nearly 50 countries stop there to connect the Great Lakes and Midwest American markets to the rest of the world. Twenty percent of the port territory, which extends from Beauport to the South Shore, is devoted to recreational tourism activities.

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For more information:
Frédéric Lagacé
Director of Communications
418-929-5031
[email protected]