Oct 21/10 - Pt 1: Quebec Asbestos

PART ONE

It's Thursday, October 21st.

The Statistical Society of Canada marked World Statistics Day by holding a mock funeral for the Long Form Census.

Currently. Oh Long Form Census. Aside from the fact you didn't work in agriculture, spent 5 to 14 hours a week doing unpaid housework and planned to build a new back deck... we hardly knew ya.

This is The Current.

Quebec Asbestos  - Panel

We started this segment with a CBC Radio Report back in 1942 from the Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Quebec. At the time, asbestos was being called a "magic mineral." And it was being used in everything from clothing to building insulation. Today, asbestos is a dangerous and highly controversial substance that is blamed for serious health problems, including cancer.

But the 131-year-old Jeffrey Mine is still open for business at least some of the time. The company that runs it is under bankruptcy protection and in need of a major cash infusion. The Quebec Government is considering a 58-million-dollar loan guarantee. But only if other funding partners come forward.

Last week, a consortium of investors from India made an offer to buy the Jeffrey Mine. Most of the asbestos extracted there is exported overseas. And much of it goes to India. The offer to buy the Jeffrey Mine and extend its life has dismayed people who say Canada should get out of the asbestos business.

But it has given new hope to the residents of Asbestos ... many of whom are fiercely loyal to the mine and can't imagine their town without it. Colette Bachand is one of those residents and a former employee at the Jeffrey Mine. She was in Asbestos, Quebec. Georges-Andre Gagne is the General Manager of the town of Asbestos, Quebec.

Quebec Asbestos - Allison Brunette

The bid to buy the Jeffrey Mine still has a few more hurdles. It's also an ongoing political minefield in Quebec. So to tell us where the story might go from here, we were joined by Allison Brunette. She's a reporter with CBC Radio who's working on a special report about the fate of Asbestos. She's been covering the story of the Jeffrey Mine for the last two years. She was in Sherbrooke, Quebec.