Nelson Sergerie, LJI

PERCÉ – Since June, residents of the Anse-à-Beaufils sector of ​​Percé have been dealing with intermittent nauseating odours, a situation that is not the responsibility of the town.

“I’m aware of the odours. I’m not an ecological engineer, but I know it smells bad at times,” says Mayor Daniel Leboeuf. Residents complained to the municipal office, but zoning regulations do not cover airborne odours. “We referred them to Urgences Environnement, and I’m aware that inspectors took samples to try to determine the source. I haven’t received a report on these inspections yet,” notes the mayor.

If the problem is a municipal responsibility, the mayor assures that action will be taken if there is a problem with a septic tank or accumulated algae. “We must protect air quality. We have a bylaw on nuisances, but we can’t impose solutions. The Ministry of the Environment is better qualified than us to tell us what to do,” says Mr. Leboeuf.

The Ministry of the Environment received a report on September 2 via the Emergency-Environment hotline. The ministry indicates that the complaint was about odours and wastewater discharge from the Pit Caribou microbrewery.

Some citizens are pointing their fingers at the Pit Caribou microbrewery for the nauseating smells.
The company installed a new wastewater treatment system following a previous regulation non-compliance warning.

The Ministry of the Environment inspected the site at the end of July and will ensure its compliance. Following the September 2 complaint, this item could be added to the file.

No sanctions have been issued since October 2023, and no legal action is pending against the company. Pit Caribou received a $5,000 financial penalty for a violation of the Environment Quality Act. The Ministry accused the company of installing an overflow pipe on the process water retention pit, which had the actual or potential effect of releasing a contaminant into the environment, namely process wastewater, not covered by the initial authorization.

This Ministry intervention followed two complaints. The first complaint was filed on June 12, 2023, by the Town of Percé after receiving complaints from residents “Because the microbrewery appeared to have a wastewater management problem,” the ministry stated at the time.

Following these complaints, the company contacted the ministry’s Analysis and Expertise Department and Environmental Control Department, which conducted several audits.

Furthermore, two weeks later, another complaint was filed regarding “An accumulation of questionable and foul-smelling substances on the bank in the area of ​​the establishment and to the effect that the company had carried out riprap repair work without authorization.”

The $5,000 fine was issued on October 5, 2023. Inspectors visited the site four times in June, November, and December 2023 to conduct inspections and take samples.

“Notices of non-compliance were sent to the company on August 8, 2023, and February 21, 2024, informing it of breaches of the Environment Quality Act and the Regulation respecting activities in wetlands, bodies of water and sensitive environments,” continued the ministry, which indicated at that time that it was not ruling out any recourse to ensure compliance.