Quebec could lose up to $900M with federal decree to protect caribou population

The federal government estimates that an emergency decree to protect Quebec's dwindling population of woodland caribou could cost the province's economy between $670 million and $895 million over 10 years. 

According to a report by Radio-Canada, Ottawa expects the decree to affect the operations of 53 companies and put 1,400 forestry jobs at risk. It would also affect 28 forest-dependent communities.

Those numbers are in an impact analysis report from last month that was produced by Environment Canada and Natural Resources Canada, according to Radio-Canada sources. That analysis is preliminary as the details of the potential decree are subject to consultations until Sept. 15. 

The brunt of those losses would come from companies' reduced abilities to exploit forest resources — an estimated drop of about four per cent in potential operations, according to Ottawa, which mirrors findings at the provincial level.

Last month, Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault recommended the adoption of an emergency decree to protect the woodland caribou as some herds cross the "threshold of near-disappearance." Guilbeault has long denounced what he's described as a lack of commitment from Quebec to protect the animal's population, which has plummeted in recent years.

The federal Environment Ministry estimates between 6,162 and 7,445 woodland caribou remain in Quebec.

The decree could ban logging and the construction of new logging roads in three areas where woodland caribou are most at risk: Val-d'Or, Charlevoix and Pipmuacan — straddling the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Côte-Nord regions. 

The emergency order is provided for in Section 80 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in which the federal environment minister is required to make a recommendation if they consider a species to be exposed to imminent threats to its survival or recovery. Once in effect, it can remain so for five years.

Quebec tells Ottawa to 'back down'

In reaction to Radio-Canda's report Monday morning, the office of Quebec Minister of Natural Resources Maïté Blanchette Vézina said Guilbeault is downplaying the extent of the consequences of his decree for the regions concerned. 

"He needs to back down; we can't put thousands of workers out on the street," the statement reads.

According to Radio-Canada, the companies affected by the emergency decree would include 35 sawmills, 10 wood product manufacturing plants, three pulp and paper mills, two cogeneration and energy production facilities and three harvesting co-operatives 

Asked if Guilbeault foresees any compensation for losses that businesses and communities may incur, his office said it is still hoping to reach an agreement with the Quebec government, which would make implementing the decree unnecessary.

"We are hopeful that Quebec will be open to finding a solution for the recovery of caribou in the three herds," a statement reads. 

"As for the decree, it's still under consultation, so it's too early to say what the final figures will be."