The entrance to the Horne Foundry, owned by Glencore, in Rouyn-Noranda. (File photo)
A Glencore shareholder from Saint-Mathieu-d'Harricana spoke to the company's board of directors in Switzerland on Friday to get answers to his questions about the Horne Foundry.
< p class="e-p">Willy Gagnon, who is also the general director of the shareholder education and defense movement, asked three questions to the shareholders of Glencore, the multinational owner of the Horne Foundry.
He wanted to know why the company was aiming for 15 nanograms per cubic meter in the air annually rather than the Quebec standard of 3 ng? He also wanted to know if Glencore intended to financially compensate the people of Rouyn-Noranda and if the company intended to close the Horne Foundry.
They said that for 20 years, we have greatly reduced pollution and after that, that they were going to create a buffer zone, indicates Willy Gagnon, who believes that he did not have answers to his other questions. He also specifies that, in his opinion, few large companies answer questions at general meetings.
We are not surprised, but we are not either disappointed, of course, because if there was hope, we could be disappointed, but there really wasn't, adds Mr. Gagnon.
“What we can hope for in the future is that this company may be more sensitive to its corporate image than before, because it starts to accumulate, the comments at the annual meeting. »
— Willy Gagnon, shareholder of Glencore
Glencore was also questioned by other organizations from around the world during the board meeting. administration, in particular to demand that the company stop investing in coal.
We came here to continue a fight that has only just begun, says Willy Gagnon, who has the I intend to continue to contact the company in writing in order to obtain answers to its questions over the next few weeks. He also regrets not being able to do it in French.
We had to address those who pollute us in the language of those who pollute us and not in the language of those who are polluted, he says.
