So long, Quebec...

[Ice]

I did read it all. Which was the very reason for my burst of francophone-solidarity driven exhuberance. Because, if I am not mistaken about French law, this decision brings Québec into compliance with French standards.

Yes they will and good riddance. Have your child labour in Burma. Your environmental destruction in China. Your poor health and safety standards in Columbia.

Right. So the air will be clean, but there will be no jobs OR TAX REVENUE FOR THE COMMUNITY/PROVINCE.. That's logical.

And if they so desire, the rest of Canada can have their 'neighbours should be expected to suffer annoyances that exceed a reasonable limit of tolerance' and their 'no liability for companies to pay damages over failure to maintain pollution-control equipment in ”optimal” working order'.

Correct.

Canada is a modern society, and modern societies have industrial standards and standards for neighbourly conduct.
Some companies will leave at the prospect of having to comply with these standards. Others will understand them and take over. This is the lesson from history from the past two hundred years. We'd all still be living in 19th century Dickensian circumstances if we would have given in to industrial scaremongering and threats. Québec seems to understand this and is leading the way. The other provinces can compete with each other for who is willing to bend over backwards the most by lowering health, safety and environmental standards for industry in a bid to be the most competitive. (Although I bet they will never outcompete Nigeria or Bangladesh in these respects)[

You are missing the point. The companies were following, according to the article, most of these environmental laws to the letter. Taking a broad interpretation of a vague law and applying it to this situation is absolutely ridiculous. If they laws need changed according the people's wishes then fine. Do it the correct way through legislation. This is crap.