Tiny Canada town defeats oil firm in court fight over drinking water

[Judi Lynn]

Company sued Quebec township of 157 people after it created a no-drill zone, fearing for its water supply

Ashifa Kassam in Toronto

@ashifa_k
Sat 3 Mar 2018 06.30 EST

A small municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec that was facing a million-dollar lawsuit from an oil and gas exploration company has won its court battle, bringing an end to a four-year ordeal that began when residents took steps to protect their water supply.

“Reason and law prevailed today,” François Boulay, the mayor of Ristigouche Sud-Est, a township of 157 people on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, said in a statement. “We are relieved that our right to protect our drinking water is finally recognised.”

The clash traces its roots to 2011, when the province granted a Montreal-based company, Gastem, drilling permits to search for oil and gas in the eastern part of the province. Construction began on a drilling platform in the township’s territory.

Amid concerns from Ristigouche Sud-Est residents over how the drilling would affect municipal water sources, the town passed a bylaw in 2013 that set out a 2km (1.2-mile) no-drill zone around its water supply.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/03/canada-oil-drilling-town-lawsuit-ristigouche-sud-est

[Angry Dragon]

1. good for them