Two Quebec cabinet ministers say the province will not fund a proposed graphite mine north of Gatineau because it doesn’t meet the government’s standards for local support.
B.C.-based Lomiko Metals has been testing samples from its La Loutre site near the town of Duhamel, which the company says on its project website has shown “excellent graphite properties” for making batteries.
Many nearby residents have been against the proposal for years due to a perceived threat to outdoor recreation and associated businesses. No environmental assessment of the site has been conducted.
La Loutre has drawn funding from the Canadian and American governments for its potential role in the switch from gas to electric vehicles and related drop in fossil fuel emissions, but Minister Responsible for the Outaouais Region Mathieu Lacombe said Monday the project lacks provincial support.
“This is a project that needed government support to come together, and today I’m telling you it does not have it,” Lacombe said in French during an announcement in Gatineau. Lacombe’s Papineau district includes Duhamel.
“I think this can reassure citizens who don’t want this project, which might be a good project, but isn’t in a good place.”
Project lacks ‘social acceptability’
Lacombe pointed to Premier François Legault indicating in 2022 that no mining project will be carried out without what’s referred to in the province as “social acceptability” — essentially, buy-in from affected communities.
Natural Resources Minister Blanchette Vézina said the company’s request for funding from Investissement Québec wouldn’t be successful because it lacks public support.
Lomiko Metals has not responded to requests from Radio-Canada for an interview. It’s not clear what the company will do next, or what will happen with a referendum on the project scheduled for November 2025.
Both Duhamel’s mayor and the president of a local anti-mining group say they’re relieved to hear of the province’s decision.
“For the people I called, I can say there was crying,” said Louis Saint-Hilaire of the Regroupement de protection des lacs de la Petite-Nation.
Ottawa Morning8:16Mining expert weighs in on Quebec pulling out of La Loutre mining project
The Quebec Government says it will not fund the La Loutre mining project in the Outaouais. We speak with an expert about yesterday’s announcement and what it will mean for the controversial project.