Montreal-area mayors outraged as Quebec tables bill to expand hazardous landfill

MONTREAL – Montreal-area mayors are denouncing the Quebec government’s decision to force the City of Blainville to cede a piece of land for the expansion of a hazardous waste disposal site.

Blainville Mayor Liza Poulin described the government’s move as scandalous, inexplicable, and incomprehensible.

Quebec’s natural resources minister said today she had tabled a bill to transfer the contested piece of land to the government, and lease it long-term to Stablex, a company that processes waste from Canada and the United States.

Maïté Blanchette Vézina told the legislature on Wednesday that the government has little choice but to facilitate Stablex’s expansion, and has said the facility is the only one in the province treating certain types of dangerous material.

Poulin and other mayors told reporters today that the 67-hectare site includes environmentally valuable wetlands, and noted that the organization representing communities in the greater Montreal area has made use of provincial regulations to protect the land.

The province’s environmental consultation bureau has described the land as an “exceptional” natural site, and recommended in 2023 that the government not authorize the project.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2025.