Taxpayer-funded electric vehicle and battery plant may poison waterways and fish

According to the PMO press release on the taxpayer funding of the project, it claims to create 3,000 jobs, with $1.34 billion in capital commitment from the Feds and another $1.37 billion from the province of Quebec, totaling $2.71 billion in taxpayer subsidies—equivalent to 2 CBCs. 

The news of the potential environmental catastrophe caused by the project was first broken by Blacklock's Reporter, which examined internal federal government documents.

Although Prime Minister Trudeau claims that the plant will be 'making the world’s cleanest batteries,' the Department of Fisheries has cautioned that Northvolt could discharge factory effluent into fish habitats.

According to Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec’s Minister of Economy, Innovation, and Energy, Northvolt's new plant is the biggest private project in Quebec’s history—an odd way to describe a project which needs nearly 3 billion in taxpayer dollars to get off the ground.

Estimates about how much money is being shoved into Northvolt are unclear. According to the Parliamentary Budget Office, these potential groundwater poisoners are getting closer to seven billion dollars, or five and a half CBCs worth.

Job creation confusion lingers on taxpayer subsidized battery plants.
While the Trudeau govt is holding back info on the contracts - it is very unclear how many Cdn jobs will be created by these plants vs foreign workers.
-Stellantis: $15 B
-Northvolt: $7 B
-Volkswagen: $14 B pic.twitter.com/tKWpP1V5tb

— Senator Don Plett (@DonPlett) November 28, 2023

The relevant Trudeau cabinet minister responds to a report by Parliamentary Budget Officer estimating gov't support for EV battery manufacturing by Northvolt, Volkswagen & Stellantis-LGES t at $43.6 billion over 10 years —$5.8 billion higher than announced cost of $37.7 billion. https://t.co/qkgEEMDK1w

— Lorrie Goldstein (@sunlorrie) November 18, 2023

Conservatives wanted an emergency hearing after the Liberals weren't forthcoming with the numbers for this plant or the number of Canadian jobs being created.

The pattern is disturbingly clear. @JustinTrudeau is using BILLIONS of YOUR dollars to subsidize foreign workers. We’ve called for an EMERGENCY MEETING. We will not sweep this under the rug. 🚨 #cndpoli pic.twitter.com/ZkFjZkxMqY

— Rick Perkins (@RickPerkinsMP) November 26, 2023

However, since when do the Liberals care about fish when they can cut political deals with their friends? The so-called environmentalist Liberals have repeatedly allowed Quebec municipalities to dump billions of litres of raw untreated sewage into vital whale and fish habitats.

Those dumps have resulted in major fish kills in waterways like the Yamaska River.

Liberals have allowed these raw sewage dumps until 2040, although Conservatives introduced rules against it in 2012.