Class action filed against Horne Foundry, Quebec government

A law firm says it plans to file a class action suit in Quebec Superior Court Monday against multinational Glencore, which owns the Horne Foundry, and the provincial government.

The plaintiffs accuse the Horne Foundry of "having emitted a cocktail of toxic and carcinogenic contaminants into the environment that far exceed air quality standards in Quebec" and infringing on their fundamental rights.

The initiators of the action, Julie Fortier and Miguel Charlebois, are two Rouyn-Noranda residents.

They are represented by the law firm Siskinds Desmeules, which is bringing the class action on behalf of two groups.

The first group represents anyone who has lived in the Notre-Dame district of the City of Rouyn-Noranda at any time since Jan. 1, 1991.

The second group comprises people who have lived within the urban perimeter of the City of Rouyn-Noranda, excluding the Notre Dame district, at any time since Jan. 1, 1991.

COMPENSATION PLAN

For people in group 1, the compensation plan proposed by the plaintiffs includes $1,000 per month of occupancy during the exposure period (between January 1991 and the judgment on merits).

The plaintiffs are claiming "$500 per month of occupancy for the three years preceding the filing of the application for authorization until the judgment on merits, as compensatory damages for inconveniences suffered" and "an additional lump sum of $15,000 for emotional damages" for those with children.

The suit also demands $250 per month of occupancy during the exposure period for punitive damages.

For people in group 2, the plaintiffs are claiming $500 per month of occupancy during the exposure period and $500 per month of occupancy "for the three years preceding the filing of the application for authorization until judgment on merits, as compensatory damages for inconveniences suffered."

They also want an additional $7,500 for parents of children for emotional damages.

They are asking for $250 per month of occupancy during the exposure period for punitive damages and reimbursement for "any financial losses related to the maintenance of their residence, mitigation of exposure or protection of their health."

The plant, which processes copper concentrates, has been a source of concern for several years due to arsenic emissions in the air.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 23, 2023.