Overview

• Justice Daniel Dumais authorized a class action against Glencore’s Horne smelter and the Quebec government, marking a procedural step before trial.
• Recoverable damages are limited to harm dating from 2020 because of statute-of-limitations rules.
• The court approved a class of residents within 10 km since Oct. 23, 2020, divided into emotional-harm and financial-loss subgroups, with claims up to about $315,000 per person.
• The decision cites abundant evidence of contaminants above norms and references a 2022 public‑health report linking arsenic and cadmium exposure to elevated cancer risk.
• Reports note arsenic levels were historically up to 33 times the standard, a 2022 permit allows five times the norm, the 2023 average was about 15 times, and Glencore maintains its operations are safe.