Questerre’s Karen Carle and Seismotion’s Mario Levesque squared off on a panel with Serge Roy of Quebec Solidaire and ecocrat Serge Fortier at Carrefour Terra Terre over the weekend.
While several issues were discussed, a key issue was that of developing bio-gas and other alternatives. Karen Carle and Mario Levesque agreed strongly with Serge Roy and Serge Fortier that these alternatives should be developed. Quebec could even make the political choice to use the financial benefits of natural gas to invest in new energy technologies.
Karen Carle to Mr. Roy, “I am agreeing with you on a lot of things today. The discussion too often is one of yes or no – one or the other. However, it should be about what is the best energy diet for Quebec..”
A perfect example is Quebec consumes close to 50% of all bunker oil used in Canada. For the benefit of the environment, the Cote Nord needs more choices on its energy menu.
Another point of agreement was on the need for a modern regulatory environment. Industry has been asking for this from government since 2009. Most companies including Questerre have signed voluntary best practices commitments with the Quebec Oil and Gas Association to follow the standards of Western Canada until new regulations are made. As Mario Levesque said, his children live in Quebec and he wants a clean environment for them too.
Congratulations to Laval University and Carrefour Terra Terre for organizing a civil discussion of both sides of the issue. With the minor exception of one protester, who should not believe everything he reads in Le Devoir, repeating “Michael Binnion doesn’t respect that French is the official language of Quebec”, the event was a respectful and civil exchange of ideas.
