The City of Gaspé would like to inform members of the media and the population that an illegal spill of a large quantity of oil has been made into the municipal sewer system. A deposition was made at the Sûreté du Québec. This situation, which is harmful to the environment and to several of the City's facilities, is currently under investigation. Inspectors from the Quebec Ministry of the Environment and Environment Emergency were called in to help the municipal team in the decontamination process that will have to be done. Since two pumping stations had to be stopped to avoid more serious breakdowns at other stations and at the wastewater treatment plant, the network had to be discharged into Gaspé bay for a short time today.

The mayor and the municipal council are extremely concerned about this deplorable situation which could have been catastrophic. The City of Gaspé will not comment further on the situation so as not to interfere with the ongoing investigation. Persons with information that may be useful to the investigation are asked to contact Claude Doiron of the Sûreté du Québec at 1 800 659-4264.