Report - Agence canadienne d'évaluation environnementale

Opinions of participants
Some participants suggested different and more adapted approaches for the future
development of the area (Mr. Jean-Claude Florence, DM193, p. 9; Mr. Benoît
Bouffard, DM31, p. 3; Québec solidaire, DM466, p. 25). In fact, some participants
underscored the fact that a housing development would be a more appropriate choice
to use the land of this area (Ms. Line Caron, DM605, p. 5). Another participant
suggested that a housing development could be just as profitable for the city, both
fiscally and through job benefits (Mr. Louis-Marie Asselin, DM49, p. 12). In the same
perspective, GIRAM representatives suggested that the area’s development be
directed toward new technology industries which don’t require portuary infrastructures
for their activities (DT16, p. 21).
Some participants wanted the area to grow industrially, believing that expanding the
area beyond the limits proposed would be favourable for local economic development:
To improve the project, the proponent should not hesitate to plan expanding the
plant in the coming years as the popularity of the product will continue growing,
and to meet the demand, he will have to be in a position to expand his facilities
[…].
(Gestion financière Chute-de-la-Chaudière, DM131, p. 1)
Moreover, cryogenic technology was viewed by many participants as an economically
promising sector. Some underscored the cryogenic capacities of Rabaska’s liquefied
natural gas, which could provide leading-edge companies with undeniable
development advantages (OmegaChem, DM144, p. 3; Mr. Bertrand Crète, DM119,
p. 9; Société de développement économique de Lévis, DM545, p. 18).
The landscape and heritage value
Many participants invoked the project’s potential impacts on the landscape and the
region’s heritage. The Conseil des monuments et sites du Québec explained:
The heritage value already built and our cultural landscapes are a reflection of the
social and cultural progress of our society. It is therefore appropriate to be totally
watchful over them and scrupulously ensure their preservation and integration
into our contemporary societies. This must be an integral part of a collective
responsibility and a political duty.
(DM394, p. 16)
Several participants considered the areas of the city of Québec, Lévis and the île
d’Orléans as the cradle of French American culture, the place where the first settlers
of the country established themselves. This land is a collective heritage site for them,
32 Rabaska Project – Implementation of an LNG Terminal and Related Infrastructure