The oil companies cannot act “cavalierly,” said Couillard

Photo Stevens LeBlanc
The prime minister Philippe Couillard

QMI agency

Thursday, 1 march 2018 21:28

UPDATE
Thursday, 1 march 2018 22:29

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The oil companies who are exploiting the resources of Quebec must respect the local communities and not to act “cavalier” with them, ” warns Philippe Couillard.

• READ ALSO : The village of Restigouche will not have to pay$ 1 Million to the oil Gastem

The prime minister was reacting to the legal victory of the gaspé town of regulations, to which the oil Gastem was accused of having made him lose more than a million dollars by adopting a regulation to protect drinking water.

However, on Wednesday, the superior Court ruled that the company was not able to demonstrate the bad faith of the citizens of the small municipality by the adoption of this regulation.

“I think [the judgment makes the business] even more aware of the importance of local milieus. You can’t come in, cavalierly, and act as if the local authorities did not exist,” commented Mr. Couillard during a press conference, Thursday, in the eastern Townships.

New regulations

The prime minister has also indicated that his government would soon introduce regulations on the exploitation of resources that would go “on the side of the protection of the environment rather than the industry.”

“In terms of our regulations of hydrocarbon, we continue to move forward,” said Mr. Couillard.

– With the collaboration of Marc-André Gagnon