Rejecting the Énergie Saguenay project is a costly mistake

Montreal, July 21, 2021 – With the Quebec government rejecting the Énergie Saguenay project today, Miguel Ouellette, Economist and Director of Operations at the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), wished to respond.

“What we’re seeing today is that the consultation process makes more room for a handful of activists than for the community hosting a project, which makes no sense,” says Mr. Ouellette. “We need to understand that the project would in all likelihood have led to a global reduction in GHG emissions. Of course, the developer could not provide a list of clients before the project was approved—that’s putting the cart before the horse. What was asked of them was simply unreasonable,” adds the economist.

“Énergie Saguenay would have created thousands of jobs in a region with a relatively high unemployment rate and with an average income that’s below the provincial average. There was no better location for a project of this scope. In such a context, it makes you wonder whether undertaking large projects is possible at all in Quebec,” points out Mr. Ouellette. “The situation is all the more deplorable given that the local community and the municipalities in the region approved of the project. With this kind of a process in place and such disappointing results, we’re sending an extremely negative message to anyone who might be thinking of investing and creating jobs in Quebec,” concludes the economist.

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The Montreal Economic Institute is an independent public policy think tank. Through its publications, media appearances, and advisory services to policy-makers, the MEI stimulates public policy debate and reforms based on sound economics and entrepreneurship.

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Interview requests: Marie-Eve McNicoll, Communications Advisor, Cell. 581-777-5060, Email: memcnicoll@iedm.org