The Vaudreuil Beyond 2022 project proposed to raise the current bauxite tailings site in Saguenay to 30 meters and to open a new site starting in 2024. As the project is not covered by section 31.1 of the Environment Quality Act (EQA), it is not subject to the environmental impact assessment and review procedure in southern Quebec, and therefore to public hearings by the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE). Rio Tinto decided to voluntarily submit its project to a public consultation inspired by BAPE procedures and practices.
TES acted as an impartial facilitator. The team recorded all the discussions held during the public consultation and produced a consultation report, which was made public on the www.consultationsvaudreuil.com website. The conclusion is intended to provide Rio Tinto with insights on the best development course while taking into account the opinions and recommendations of participants. It has been published as submitted to Rio Tinto.
As part of the mandate, TES developed and tested an innovative model for a voluntary public consultation process based on the BAPE experience.