Municipal workers affiliated with CUPE are mobilizing to prevent two new drilling projects in Matapédia, QC. Employees in Saint-Léon-le-Grand, Amqui, Causapscal, Lac-au-Saumon, Sayabec and Sainte-Irène, all of whom belong to CUPE 1142, support the municipal council of Saint-Léon-le-Grand which passed a resolution March 5, categorically opposing all gas or oil exploration or development on its territory.
“First and foremost, CUPE workers are citizens who want to maintain a healthy environment. We fear that any pollutant spills will imperil water supply sources in several municipalities of the Matapédia region,” explained CUPE Union Representative Yanick Proulx.
In the coming months, Marzcorp Oil and Gas Inc. has scheduled two oil and gas exploration projects–one in Saint-Léon-le-Grand and the other on a territory that has not been organized into a municipality.
“Serious mobilization is taking shape, and the workers who are also citizens do have their say. We’ve got to hang in there!” said Proulx.
Photo: Anne-Marie Bouchard(Anne-Marie17) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
