Havelock is not ready to back down in its attempt to block the installation of an asphalt factory on Covey Hill.
In a status report issued by Havelock mayor Gerald Beaudoin, the municipality reiterated its claim that the installation of an asphalt plant within the boundaries of the Les Carrières Ducharme Inc. quarry is contrary to existing bylaws and inconsistent with the agricultural and forestry vocation of the community.
The municipality complied with orders in the Superior Court ruling in favour of Groupe Chenail Inc. issued by Sylvanna Conte on May 10, which included sending a declaration confirming the plant conforms with municipal bylaws to the Commission de Protection du Territoire Agricole (CPTAQ). However, included with this declaration was a statement indicating the municipality’s opposition to the project.
An application to appeal the ruling was denied on July 25 by Quebec Court of Appeal judge Peter Kalichman. “It was disappointing,” says Beaudoin of the Court of Appeal’s decision. An analysis by Havelock’s lawyers had suggested there were reasonable grounds to file an appeal. Beaudoin admits he was not only disappointed in the outcome but in the judge’s reasoning behind the ruling as well.
Having exhausted all legal avenues to block the installation of the plant, its future operation is still subject to final decisions by the CPTAQ and the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune, et des Parcs. The factory equipment remains “physically in place, but it is not functioning,” confirms Beaudoin.
“We feel the CPTAQ is our best option,” he says, and notes that currently the municipality is still waiting on the two government bodies to issue a preliminary decision on the plant. Once a decision has been made public, the municipality and other interested parties will be able to comment on the project before a final decision is reached. The Havelock ad hoc committee, which is composed of citizens and one municipal councillor, was formed specifically to research and prepare comments on the various effects that could and will result from the asphalt plant.
In the statement, Beaudoin maintains it is “the hope and the expectation of the citizens of Havelock that the CPTAQ will assume its mandate and enforce measures to ensure the continuity and integrity of our agriculture community.” Beaudoin also notes the municipality is hopeful the MELCC will take the “necessary steps to ensure the environmental safety of the delicate ecosystems and watersheds that exist within our community.”