Montreal, March 12, 2025 - The Association for Asbestos Victims of Quebec (AVAQ) is organizing a virtual conference on **Tuesday, March 18, 2025**, at 7 p.m. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Thetford miners' strike.

This event highlights the struggle of the miners and their families for health and safety at work, emphasizing the importance of measures taken since 1975 to reduce asbestos exposure. Although the mines are closed and the use of asbestos has been banned in Canada since 2018, mine residues continue to release fibers into the air, endangering the health of the residents of Thetford and asbestos-containing regions.

AVAQ will present the results of measures taken in Black Lake, where asbestos fiber concentrations were analyzed in 2024. The event also aims to demand more transparency from the National Asbestos Observatory (ONA) and the Ministry of the Environment. 

Our speakers:

Mr. Jacques Létourneau, a native of Thetford Mines and former president of the CSN. Ms. Micheline Marier for the historical aspect and Mr. Daniel Green for environmental measures.

Link to the virtual conference: https://urlr.me/3Dn8Xw

Media contact:

AVAQ - 514 396-5359