New mine could position Quebec as a leader in lithium, but its troubled past worries locals

A 100-ton truck crisscrosses a trail in a vast open pit 550 kilometers northwest of Montreal, preparing to open.

The chalky veins of these rocks contain one of the world’s most popular minerals, a metal containing lithium, a key component of electric vehicle batteries.

When production resumes early next year at the lithium mine in La Corne, Quebec, it will become one of the only functioning lithium enrichment mines in North America, positioning Quebec as the lithium leader in Canada. increase.

Sayona-Québec, which purchased the mine in 2021, already employs about 80 full-time workers, and the neighboring municipality’s mayor, Amos, said it would ensure a secondary economic benefit for residents. increase.

Sayonnat Quebec CEO Guy Laliberté said: “As a Quebecer, I am proud. under strict environmental regulations…

But others are more skeptical. Despite his $110 million investment from the state government, the lithium mine has changed owners four times in the past decade, making him responsible for serious and damaging leaks and demanding creditor protection. He applied twice.

Meanwhile, environmental groups and members of Longpoint First Nation have said Sayona’s other lithium projects in the area could threaten water and the Anisinabeg lifestyle. .

So some experts say extracting lithium is important, but it shouldn’t be considered a climate change silver bullet just because it powers the electric car industry.

“There are many harms associated with mining, both for communities and ecosystems,” said Teresa Kramartz, a mining expert at the University of Toronto.

Hot resource next to Canada’s clearest water

Canada currently produces no lithium, but produces about 2.5% of the world’s. Known lithium deposits.

This is a small difference when compared to lithium powerhouses such as Bolivia, Australia, Chile and Argentina, but China still dominates most of the world’s processing power.Still, Canadian lawmakers say they Keen on mining what they can.

Demand for lithium is outstripping supply as consumers shift away from gasoline vehicles.According to one expert’s analysis, it is necessary to add at least 300 mines Globally to meet current demand.

“Quebec has lithium and it’s important to take advantage of it,” Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters in September.

But Olivier Pitre, director of SÉSAT, a group that monitors groundwater in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region of Quebec, said mining activity in the area could affect some of the purest water in North America. said.

Abitibi Temiscaminge has 8,000-year-old layered sand and gravel ridges that naturally filter rain and snow. The result is enough water for the water company Eska to be based in the area.

Pitre says that by digging a large hole (one or more mines), gravity draws groundwater to the bottom of the hole. This depressurizes the local water table, threatening to dry up streams, lakes and rivers.

Pitre said there is growing skepticism within the community about the operation of the mine.

“There is this general feeling that something is very wrong, and maybe there are some very problematic things in this mine,” he said.

Past issues, future plans

When the La Corne site first passed a feasibility study to produce lithium in 2011, the local mayor said, “It’s like winning the lottery.” But since then, the record has been shaky at best.

In 2014, the site was touted as “on its way to becoming the fourth largest lithium producer in the world,” according to the head of then-owner Lithium Canada. The mine closed just over a year later and he filed for bankruptcy protection.

While the mine operated under past owners, the media reported at least two major environmental pollutants. In the first instance, a tank burst spilled millions of liters of wastewater. In another incident, a pipe containing tailings burst, leaking nearly 500,000 liters of mining waste.

In 2016, a Chinese investment company purchased the mine. Two years later, it was acquired by Chinese battery giant CATL, but two years later it applied for creditor protection.

Laliberté said he was aware of past issues, but said the mine passed all Quebec environmental regulations and has regular tests to monitor the site.

He also has plans to increase the financial viability of the mine. In addition to benefiting from increased demand for lithium, he says he is investing significant money (around $100 million) in equipment upgrades.

He also plans to generate revenue by creating clusters of lithium mines in the area. His two other mining projects in Sayona, called Authier and Tansim, are in the early stages of development, but once they become functional mines, their ore will travel dozens of kilometers and he will be transported to La Corne. concentrated.

Sebastian Dastus, mayor of Amos, a town of 13,000 people next to La Corne, wants lithium extracted in Quebec to be processed in Quebec as well. The La Cornu plant could be the first in North America to reach that milestone.

“We are the best place in the world to work with this kind of mineral,” D’Astous said. is to do.”

There are no such refineries in Canada. At this time, the lithium extracted from La Cornu will be shipped overseas, made into lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide, and sold to manufacturers.

“Exploitation and development in our backyard”

Neither Tansim nor Authier are scheduled to open anytime soon. Authier is due to pass an environmental hearing next summer and Tansim is still in the investigation stage.

Steve Mathias, former chief of Anisinabeg, said his community, Longpoint First Nation, is particularly concerned about the proposed Tanshim project. It is the center of the city and is the site of many traditional practices such as hunting, fishing, harvesting medicinal plants and healing ceremonies.

“People are not ready to support that kind of exploitation and development in our backyards,” he said.

Long Point First Nation requested funds from the state To conduct original research into the potential environmental impacts of Sayona’s activities. So far, no response has been received, according to Mathias.

A town in the region of Abitibi Temiscamang, a few kilometers from Baldur, so rich in minerals, its name actually translates as “golden valley”. sludge.

The sludge, mining tailings from an old gold mine, looks unnatural in November’s browned decay.

Turgeon, a spokesperson for the group MiningWatch Canada, has called on Canadians to look at the tailings and understand that more lithium means more mines. He wants Canadians to question whether it’s a good idea to replace mining gasoline with lithium from another source.

“It is important that we acknowledge the extent of the areas we have polluted over the centuries in Quebec’s history and encourage this polluting industry that pursues only its own interests.

Tarjon said citizens should resist the idea that lithium will save the environment and change their consumption habits instead.

“This is a transition from one type of pollution to another. We need to do everything we can to reduce our consumption rate,” he said.

Teresa Kramarz, a mining expert at the University of Toronto, says that in addition to mining, more sustainable forms of transport, such as increased public transport, need serious discussion both in Canada and beyond.

“Everyone buys an electric car, everyone has a Tesla in their driveway, but I don’t think it’s sustainable…it’s not fair or sustainable.

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