Quebec cancer walk nixed over asbestos spat
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 6, 2010 | 8:25 PM ET
The Canadian Press
A mining town was faced with the following choice: support a cancer fundraiser or an asbestos operation.
For a town named Asbestos, there was no dilemma at all.
The Quebec town has cancelled its annual cancer fundraising walk as a gesture of support for the local asbestos mine.
The municipality is directing its protest at the Canadian Cancer Society, which recently asked the province to let the mine — already under bankruptcy protection — simply die.
The cancer society sent a letter to Premier Jean Charest last week urging him not to guarantee a loan that would save the mine, a message that swiftly rallied the Asbestos townsfolk around their 131-year-old industry.
'We want to work with our partners and not with our detractors'—Asbestos Mayor Hugues Grimard
The mayor and several key community sponsors now say the organization's Relay For Life is no longer welcome in the community.
"We want to work with our partners and not with our detractors," said Mayor Hugues Grimard, whose municipality hosted one leg of the national cancer walk a few weeks ago.
"People have stopped me to say, 'We don't want to participate in that event anymore.' We're giving [those citizens] our support."
Government considering loan guarantee
Charest's government is mulling over whether to guarantee a $58-million bank loan to prolong the life of the Jeffrey mine for another 25 years.
The project would create hundreds of jobs in the economically depressed region northeast of Montreal.
But in recent weeks, the town of 7,000 has found itself at the centre of growing international protests against Canada's controversial extraction and export of the hazardous mineral. The village is home to one of two remaining asbestos mines in Canada.
Protesters in several countries staged demonstrations against Canadian asbestos exports on Canada Day and Quebec's June 24 national holiday (Fête nationale).
The cancer society has publicly opposed the Canadian asbestos industry for three years, but its bold decision to interfere with the loan process has triggered outrage in Asbestos.
Supporters say mineral can be used safely
"It's our past, it's our history, therefore the population is united in support of the mining industry," Grimard said.
"For sure, it's a shame because we won't be giving back to a cause for cancer research."
Grimard, like many industry supporters, said asbestos is safe when handled properly and warned groups to inform themselves before they take strong positions on the substance.
In the first 48 hours after news spread about the letter to Charest, the phone rang several times at the cancer society's regional office.
'Our mandate is really public health and right now, obviously, the community's looking from an economic point of view and we understand'—André Beaulieu, Canadian Cancer Society
"Some of the sponsors called and said, 'Well, we don't agree with your position and we don't think we're then going to be able to support you anymore,'" said André Beaulieu, a spokesman for the Canadian Cancer Society.
"There's a good chance that the event will not … happen for next year."
The Asbestos leg of the Relay For Life, a 12-hour overnight event, has raised nearly $350,000 since its inception four years ago. This year's relay had 350 participants.
The cancer society stands by its decision to apply more pressure on Quebec politicians and hopes the government will instead put money towards diversifying the town, Beaulieu said.
"Our mandate is really public health and right now, obviously, the community's looking from an economic point of view and we understand," he said.
"We hope that we're still going to get, in some sort of way, the support of the population, locally."
Even if the walk does not return, the society still plans to continue offering its services in Asbestos, including a cancer support group and financial assistance for those battling the illness.
The cancer society blames Quebec asbestos for contributing to 90,000 deaths annually around the globe.
"We are concerned about the fact that asbestos is a fibre that is killing people," Beaulieu said.
The majority of Canadian exports are shipped to developing countries where anti-asbestos activists say there are few — if any — precautions taken to limit exposure.
Last week, several national health organizations, including the Canadian Public Health Association and the Quebec Public Health Association, called on Charest to refrain from bankrolling the loan for the mine.
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