Dust in Limoilou: Port of Québec satisfied with Court of Appeal ruling

Quebec City, July 25, 2023 – The Port of Quebec takes note of the recent judgment of the Quebec Court of Appeal, which confirms the conclusions rendered by the Superior Court in March 2020, namely that dust emissions from the port territory did not “contribute significantly to the excess of dust” in the Limoilou sector, and that “the health of residents of the Zone (…) was not compromised by dust emissions”.

In their decision, judges Guy Gagnon, Michel Beaupré and Frédéric Bachand emphasized the strength and credibility of the expert opinion presented by the Port of Quebec at first instance.

Continuing our efforts

While satisfied with this verdict, the Port of Quebec is committed to continuing and intensifying its ongoing efforts, in collaboration with the City of Quebec, to improve air quality in Quebec City’s lower town for the benefit of the people who live there. Numerous actions and mitigation measures have already been put in place in recent years, and many more will follow in the wake of recent reports by the regional public health department and the Groupe de travail sur la contamination atmosphérique.

“The Court of Appeal’s ruling confirms what scientific expertise has been showing for years: the Port of Quebec’s activities are responsible for only a small proportion of emissions in Quebec City’s lower town,” points out Mario Girard, President and CEO of the Port of Quebec.

“That said, the Port of Quebec remains firmly committed to contributing, to the best of its ability, to improving air quality in the area. We can always do better. We will therefore continue to exercise leadership in this direction, in collaboration with our partners, including members of the community, the City of Quebec and the Quebec government.”

 

About the Port of Québec

Ranked among the top five ports in Canada in terms of tonnage handled and economic spin-offs, the Port of Québec is strategically located to serve the industrial and agricultural heartland of North America. Every year, cargo ships from and to some 50 countries call here, linking the markets of the Great Lakes and the American Midwest to the rest of the world. Twenty percent of the port’s territory, stretching from Beauport to the South Shore, is devoted to recreational tourism.

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Source and information:

Frédéric Lagacé
Director of Communications
418 929-5031 frederic.lagace@portquebec.ca