The BAPE's motto: "Pour Agir, Il Faut Savoir"
"Comme dans les grands tours cyclistes où le leader porte le maillot jaune, je veux que le Québec soit le porteur du maillot vert en matière de développement économique et de protection de l'environnement."
David Cliche
Québec's Minister of the Environment
27 February 1996, at his first press conference
The BAPE (Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environment) is an independent commission set up by the Quebec Minister of the Environment to make the environmental approval process accessible to the public.
As part of its program to inform the public, BAPE has made copies of the TQM
environmental study available at several locations for public viewing.
Transcripts of the BAPE hearings are also available here (in French and
English, and on diskette as well as hardcopy). In our region these locations
are:
Coaticook
Bibliotheque municipale de Coaticook
34, rue Main Est
(819) 849-4013
Magog
Bibliotheque municipale de Magog
61 rue Merry Nord
(819) 843-1330
In addition, BAPE oversees preliminary public infomation meetings designed to provide information about the BAPE process and the project itself. In our area those meetings were held in Coaticook and Magog on June 3rd and 4th, respectively.
Following the public information meetings, the BAPE will hold two rounds of public hearings, each with its own distinctive purpose:
During the first round of hearings, representatives of the promotor, the BAPE, and municipalities respond to citizens' questions about the project. You may attend as many of these hearings as you like. Note that simultaneous french and english translations are available at these hearings.
Schedule for the first round of BAPE hearings:
Pointe-aux-Trembles
Les 16, 17 et 18 juin 1997 à 19h
Centre communautaire Roussin
Salon des Aînés
12125, rue Notre-Dame Est
Granby
Les 19 et 20 juin 1997 à 19h
Hôtel le Castel de l'Estrie
Salle Citadelle A
901, rue Principale
Magog
Les 25 et 26 juin 1997 à 19h
Salle paroissiale Saint-Jean-Bosco
Sous-sol de l'Eglise
900, rue Sherbrooke
East Hereford
Les 2 et 3 juillet 1997 à 19h
Motel le Montagnard
441, route 253
The purpose of the second round of hearings (which are held a minimum of 21 days after the first hearings) is to allow intervenors to present their opinions concerning the project, either orally or in written form.
Because of the extremely strong public interest shown during the first round of hearings, the BAPE commission has added two more nights of second round hearings. These additional hearings will be in Magog on the 6th and 7th of August.
This phase of the hearings is extremely important and you are strongly encouraged to attend. If you have an opinion about the TQM PNGTS Extension project, these are the times and places to make yourself HEARD!
Pointe-aux-Trembles
Les 28 et 29 julliet 1997 à 19h
Motel Idél
Salle Sherbrooke A et B
12555, rue Sherbrooke est
Granby
Les 30 et 31 julliet 1997 à 19h
Hôtel Le Castel de l'Estrie
Salle Citadelle A
901, rue Principale
Coaticook
Les 4 et 5 août 1997 à 19h
Pub de la Gorge
145, rue Michaud
Magog
Les 6 et 7 août 1997 à 19h
(Location to be announced)
After the hearings are completed, the BAPE presents a report on the project to the Quebec Minister of the Environment. Based upon the BAPE report, as well as an internal environmental assesment, the Minister of the Environment tables a report before the Quebec cabinet, which will make the final decision concerning the project.
BAPE released its final Report on the PNGTS Extension to the public on 6 November 1997. Read extracts on the BAPE site at
Broken Link http://www.bape.gouv.qc.ca/rapports/121/extrait.htm
The BAPE reports (beginning with year 2000)
BAPE Reports
BAPE Home Page