Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Montreal, June 4, 2025 - Today, community groups and environmental organizations are releasing the English version of a major report about the impacts of the mining company Nouveau Monde Graphite’s (NMG) exploration activities in Matawinie. Following an independent community environmental monitoring campaign, the report identifies numerous cases of heavy metal concentrations in waterways that exceed environmental protection criteria, likely attributable to mining exploration activities. The report also highlights concerning methodological errors in the environmental assessments conducted by NMG. The organizations are calling on the provincial government to radically review the framework for mining exploration in Quebec.

COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION AGAINST MINING

Concerned about the impacts of these activities on their environment and noting the total absence of the Ministry of the Environment in terms of environmental monitoring of exploration activities, residents of Saint-Michel-des-Saints, many of whom are supporters of the Coalition of opponents of mining in Haute-Matawinie (COPH in french), have mobilized to conduct a major sediment sampling project in the waterways bordering the site being explored by the mining company. The data was then processed by an accredited laboratory.

These efforts and the drafting of the report published today were supported by Eau Secours, the Society to Vanquish Pollution (SVP), the Coalition Québec Meilleure Mine (QMM) and MiningWatch Canada.

ALARMING CONCLUSIONS

The report's findings raise two important concerns. First, NMG's environmental assessments contain serious methodological flaws in their initial characterization of the environment. What the company describes as the “baseline condition” of the waterways appears to be a condition assessed after these waterways had already been degraded by some of the mining company's exploration activities. This creates a risk that the resulting environmental framework will be distorted towards a lower standard.

In addition, there are clear indications of heavy metal and sulfur inputs into the watercourses bordering the mine site. In particular, samples show a worrying concentration of cadmium of 0.69 mg/kg in sediments from a watercourse located in the immediate vicinity of the drilled areas, while no cadmium concentration was detected in sediments from the control station. However, the provincial and federal environment ministries estimate that adverse effects on aquatic life are expected at concentrations as low as 0.60 mg/kg.

Given the lack of rigor of the company’s own assessment, and the risk of watercourse deterioration, the groups are concerned about NMG's ability to develop an environmentally friendly mining project, especially since the expected impacts during the operational phase of a potential mine would be orders of magnitude greater than what has occurred so far.

STRICTER ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING IS NEEDED

Based on the findings of the report, the groups are calling on NMG to acknowledge the cases of water environment deterioration identified and to implement truly effective measures to control the pollution generated by its activities.

It is also essential that the company correct the methodological errors in its environmental assessment identified in the report.

Currently, exploration activities are completely exempt from environmental assessment processes and, with a few exceptions, no government monitoring is required to validate the application of good practices by mining companies. Instead, they benefit from a self-regulatory regime that is dangerously favorable to them. The authors of this report are therefore calling on the provincial government to radically overhaul the regulatory framework for mineral exploration by subjecting all mineral exploration work to prior consultations and environmental assessments.

Quotes

“There is virtually nothing documenting the observed impacts of mining exploration on Quebec's ecosystems. This report is therefore unique in that it contributes to the literature on an under-researched topic whose multiple impacts are greatly underestimated.” - Daniel Green, Society to Vanquish Pollution

“It is not normal that citizens should have to take on the role of environmental watchdog for mining companies. This reflects worrying deficiencies in the Ministry of the Environment's ability or willingness to play its role as guardian of the territory.” - Paul Comeau, Coalition of Opponents of Mining in Haute-Matawinie

"At a time when the provincial government is stepping on the gas in its ‘green transition,’ community environmental mobilization is once again demonstrating the shortcomings of a ‘battery industry’ mining project. Are we yet again faced with another project supported more by our government's blind faith than by real guarantees, particularly in terms of the protection of water and the natural environment?“ - Émile Cloutier-Brassard, mining issues coordinator, Eau Secours

”One thing is certain: critical and strategic minerals are not green. Instead of seeking to ‘lighten the administrative burden’ with policies designed to fast-track mining approvals, the government should strengthen oversight of mining activities and punish offenders. This is even more important in the critical mineral sector, where hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are at stake." - Rodrigue Turgeon, lawyer, co-director of MiningWatch Canada's national program and co-spokesperson for the Coalition Québec meilleure mine

Brief history and background of the project

Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. (NMG) plans to mine a graphite deposit in Saint-Michel-des-Saints in the Lanaudière region of Québec. The deposit is expected to produce 100,000 tons of graphite concentrate annually over a 26-year period.

From 2013 to 2019, NMG conducted extensive mineral exploration work. The mining company is in the process of developing what could become the largest open-pit graphite mine in North America. At this stage, the project is not subject to a government environmental assessment. In 2020, while the project was undergoing assessments under the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE), Québec’s para-governmental organization whose mission is to inform and consult the population regarding the development of high impact projects, Nouveau Monde Graphite conducted an impact study that contained serious methodological errors.

The report was sent last Tuesday to the company, the Ministry of the Environment, and the main investors in the mining project — Panasonic, General Motors, and Investissement Québec. A presentation of the report was given to the municipality of Saint-Michel-des-Saints last week, and an invitation was extended to the Atikamekw community of Manawan.

The full report in PDF format is available here. 

For more information:

• Émile Cloutier-Brassard, Mining Issues Coordinator, Eau Secours: emile@eausecours.org, 514-799-2383
• Paul Comeau, Coalition of Opponents to a Mining Project in Haute-Matawinie: 514-776-0034
• Daniel Green, Co-Chair, Society to Vanquish Pollution: svp.pollution@gmail.com, 514-245-4676
• Rodrigue Turgeon, lawyer, co-director of MiningWatch Canada's national program and co-spokesperson for the Coalition Québec meilleure mine: rodrigue@miningwatch.ca, 819-444-9226