Tiny Quebec village faces $1.5Million lawsuit for trying to protect its water

‘A tiny village on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula is facing off against an oil company in a legal battle that could end up costing the community $1.5 million.
The municipality of Ristigouche Sud-Est is being sued by Gastem, a Montreal-based oil-and-gas exploration and development company, for passing a bylaw in March 2013 establishing a two-kilometre no-drill zone near the source of the village’s water.
At the time, Gastem had provincial permits for exploration in the area, and Gastem president Raymond Savoie​ said the bylaw was passed without consulting the company.
​The trial, which is expected to last 10 days, got underway Tuesday in Quebec Superior Court in New Carlisle, Que. A total of 30 people, including local councillors and experts in municipal law, are expected to testify.
“The stake is this: Does a municipality have the right to adopt a bylaw towards the protection of the common good without fearing a lawsuit?” Mayor François Boulay said in an interview Wednesday.’
Read more: Tiny Quebec village faces $1.5Million lawsuit for trying to protect its water