THE PUBLIC HEARING WILL BEGIN ON JUNE 3rd,
2008
Québec, May 23th
2008 – The commission of the Bureau
d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement
(BAPE), made up of Mr. Qussaï Samak, chair, and
Mr. François Lafond, commissioner, is holding
the first part of the public hearing on the Project
to construct a 315-kV power transmission line (Chénier-Outaouais)
proposed by Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie.
The hearing will begin on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
at 7:00 pm at Château Montebello, Canada
room, located at 392, rue Notre-Dame, in Montebello,
Qc. The hearing will continue on the following
days, depending on the needs of the public and the
commission.
The sessions of the first part of
the public hearings will also available for member
of the public via a broadcast live in audio mode through
the BAPE website at: www.bape.gouv.qc.ca.
A HEARING IN TWO PARTS
1. Obtaining information
The first part of the public hearing
will be held in the presence of the proponent as well
as representatives of different government departments
who will be called upon to provide all information
sought by either members of the publics or the commission
regarding the project.
2. Voicing opinions
During the second part of the public
hearing, which will begin on July 9th 2008, the commission
will receive the public’s concerns, views and
suggestions concerning the project. In the course
of this part of the public hearing the commission
will hear any person, group, organization or municipality
wishing to express an opinion on the project, be it
in the form of a written brief or an oral presentation.
The commission has a maximum period
of four months to carry out its mandate. The BAPE
report will be submitted to Ms. Line Beauchamp, Minister
of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks,
by September 26th, 2008, at the latest who shall make
the report public with 60 days of that date.
WHERE CAN THE PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
BE CONSULTED?
All documents pertaining to the project
are available for consultation at the BAPE office
in Québec City, the Central Library of Université
du Québec à Montréal, as well
as at the following locations:
– Bibliothèque de Mirabel,
bibliothèque centrale, secteur Saint-Janvier,
17710, rue du Val d’Espoir, Mirabel ;
– Centre municipal de L’Ange-Gardien,
870, chemin Donaldson, L’Ange-Gardien ;
– Mohawks Council of Kanesatake, 120A, rue Notre-Dame,
Oka ;
– Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Band Council, 1,
Paganakomin Mikan, Maniwaki ;
– Hôtel de ville de Montebello, 550, rue
Notre-Dame, Montebello.
The same documents are also available
through the BAPE website at the following address:
www.bape.gouv.qc.ca.
For more information, feel free to
contact Ms. Marie-Josée Méthot, coordinator
of the commission’s secretariat, by dialing
418 643-7447 or, toll-free, 1 800 463-4732, extension
426. You can also contact the commission by e-mail
at the following address: ligne-chenier-outaouais@bape.gouv.qc.ca.
THE PROJECT
Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie
proposes to build a 315kV transmission line, between
the Chénier station, in Mirabel, and the Outaouais
station currently under construction in Ange-Gardien
in order to reinforce the Outaouais station to permit
the exploitation of the 1 250 MW of firm capacity
of the interconnection with Ontario under all network
operating conditions. This line would be built in
accordance with strict criteria from the standpoint
of its resistance to wind and ice accumulation. Having
an approximate length of 114 km, this line would cross
through 15 municipalities and would be located within
Hydro-Québec’s right-of-way, on the north
side of the existing Chénier-Vignan line. The
new line would mainly cross over private tenure lands
on protected agricultural territory. The establishment
of this line would require the addition of equipment
inside the Chénier station and the expansion
of the Outaouais station. Hydro-Québec estimates
the global cost of the project to be $214 million.
The proponent would like to start its work in 2008
and put the line into service for the spring of 2010.
WHAT IS THE BAPE?
The BAPE is a public information
and consultation organization that allows citizens
to express their views on a given project and to take
part in the decision-making process, which may or
may not lead to the authorization of a project. The
BAPE carries out the mandates entrusted to it by the
Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and
Parks, notably the public information and consultation
mandates lasting 45 days, inquiry and public hearing
mandates which may last up to 4 months, and the mediation
mandate lasting about 2 months.
In response to the requests for a
public hearing submitted to the Minister of Sustainable
Development, Environment and Parks by citizens, groups,
organizations or municipalities, the BAPE has been
mandated to hold a public hearing on the Projet de
construction d’une ligne à 315 kV, la
ligne Chénier-Outaouais.
– 30 –
Source: Julie Olivier
Communications advisor
418 643-7447 or 1 800 463-4732, extension 539
ligne-chenier-outaouais@bape.gouv.qc.ca
