Rio Tinto boss hints at investments during meeting with Legault

MONTREAL -

Rio Tinto has yet to announce long-awaited investments in Quebec, but is looking for a way to make them happen.

That's what the mining giant's president, Jakob Stausholm, hinted at during a meeting with Prermier François Legault Wednesday at COP26, the United Nations climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

"We have to find ways to invest in Saguenay," he told The Canadian Press.

Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean is where the majority of the company's Quebec facilities are located.

The community has long sought investments into modernizing the ageing facilities, whose environmental authorizations expire in 2025.

The Parti Quebecois (PQ) opposition, which has also been calling for firm commitments from Rio Tinto, was eager to respond.

The PQ MNA for Jonquière, Sylvain Gaudreault, whose riding includes Rio Tinto facilities, is taking part in the COP as well.

"I have just arrived at COP26 and this is the perfect time to promote both the 'green label' of aluminum in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and the issue of a just transition for Rio Tinto workers in the region," he said.

The issue is not only about maintaining jobs and economic health, but also the health of the environment. Rio Tinto's plants are among the most polluting in Quebec, so it's in the government's best interest that the facilities be modernized to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets.

However, if the plants are upgraded to produce less pollution, such as through the carbon-free aluminium process, fewer workers will be required.

Stausholm touted his group's facilities in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region as "huge facilities."

"We're a winner in Quebec," he said, suggesting that the company benefits greatly from staying in the province.

--This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on Nov. 3, 2021.