Tensions at Que. shale gas meeting escalate

Tempers flared at a public meeting on shale gas development Tuesday night in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., with the leading proponent leaving the meeting out of concern for his safety.

More than 600 people showed up for the information session hosted by the shale gas industry as part of a provincewide plan to sell Quebecers on the controversial approach to drilling for natural gas.

Protesters quickly overwhelmed the standing-room only hall, taking to the microphones and storming the stage.

They called on the province to implement a moratorium on exploration and drilling until a thorough environmental impact study can be done.

The tensions peaked when André Caillé, chair of the Quebec Oil and Gas Association, left the room to greet people gathered in a smaller meeting across the hall.

When he returned, he said, police told him not to go back in.

'I don't believe them, basically. Sometimes people start to yell because they can't stand it.' — Patrice Martel, resident

"Apparently the tension was so high that it represented, in their own words, a high potential risk for security for myself and maybe for others including my colleagues," Caillé told CBC News.

Caillé said he did not personally feel threatened but agreed to stay away until the situation improved.

"After an hour of discussion in trying to evaluate exactly what was going on and the security risks for the people, myself and my colleagues, I decided I would go back," said Caillé, the former chair of Hydro-Québec and a well known figure in the province. "And I went back."

Residents leave with few answers

Quebec sits on a massive field of natural gas locked in the shale bedrock that extends from the St. Lawrence Valley into New York state.

Extracting the gas involves blasting water and chemicals through the rock in a process known as fracking.

The province has ordered its environmental protection agency to review the practice and to hand in a report to government officials by February 2011.

The government estimates a homegrown shale gas industry could create 10,000 jobs and free billions of dollars the province now spends to import natural gas.

However, some environmentalists and concerned residents have accused the government and the industry of trying to rush the process before proper studies have been done. They also worry about the impact on local water supplies.

Patrice Martel, who attended Tuesday night's meeting, isn't convinced shale gas drilling is safe.

"I don't believe them, basically," he said. "Sometimes people start to yell because they can't stand it."

Sandra Pelletier-Cyr, who lives in the Saint-Hyacinthe area, left the meeting unsatisfied.

"It's like a joke for us. We didn't receive answers to our questions."

The Saint-Hyacinthe information session was the last in a series of meetings being held by the gas industry.

Quebec's environmental assessment board — known as the BAPE — will begin its own series of hearings in October.