Blainville assesses the quality of water, air, and soil at the Stablex landfill site
The city of Blainville, Quebec, is once again facing opposition to the expansion of the Stablex hazardous waste landfill, as citizen groups continue to raise concerns over contamination in the area.
In a move initiated due to a lack of response from the Environment Ministry, the mayor of Blainville, Liza Poulin, launched a sampling campaign near the Stablex landfill site. The campaign, aimed at assessing air quality, sediment quality, and surface water quality, was carried out by a specialized firm in early September.
According to ecotoxicology specialist Daniel Green, samples taken by citizens from streams and ditches surrounding the Stablex site showed the presence of contaminants. These findings have added fuel to the ongoing protests against the American company's plans to develop a sixth cell at the site.
Mayor Poulin has been asking the Environment Ministry to make the surface water and groundwater sampling data collected near the Stablex site in 2024 public and to conduct a new sampling campaign. However, these requests have not been fulfilled by the ministry.
In a news release, the former Quebec Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, stated that rigorous sampling by the ministry confirmed the site's compliance. Yet, during a meeting in May 2024, Charette had committed to making public the results of the sampling analyses carried out at the Stablex site and to collect new samples. These commitments, unfortunately, have not been fulfilled.
The land in question consists of nine hectares of wetlands and 58 hectares of wooded areas, which Blainville wanted to continue protecting. The Quebec government, however, introduced Bill 93 at the end of February to expropriate the city at a cost of $17 million, obtain the land targeted by Stablex, and allow the landfill to be expanded.
A press secretary for the new minister, Bernard Drainville, stated that he is "reviewing the various files" and will respond at a later date. Mayor Poulin requested a meeting with the new minister "within hours of his appointment," but has not received a response to date.
The Stablex industrial waste treatment center currently includes a treatment plant and five landfill cells. The company's plans to develop a sixth cell have been met with resistance from the city and frequent protests by citizen groups.
It is important to note that Stéphane Blais, author of the report by The Canadian Press, published the initial report on this matter on Sept. 20, 2025. Meanwhile, Carsten Schneider (SPD) was serving as the German Federal Minister for the Environment on September 11, 2025. There is no evidence of a change on that exact date; Schneider remains actively involved in environmental policy measures during this period.
The mayor is awaiting the report on this sampling campaign and is committed to making it public. The ongoing dispute serves as a reminder of the importance of environmental protection and transparency in decision-making processes.
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