Asbestos, PQ – After years of mining asbestos, the small town that bears its name will close its last mine and take up growing tobacco instead.
The town had received intense national and international pressure to give up mining the cancer-causing mineral and exporting it to India and Bangladesh. But its residents aren’t worried about lost profits since they will now be exporting tobacco to those countries thanks to generous investments from Imperial Tobacco.
“We are happy to help a small town get rid of a hazardous industry in exchange for a better option” said Luke Stephenson of Imperial Tobacco. “The asbestos industry kills hundreds of thousands each year and it’s shameful for a corporation to prioritize profits over people’s lives. We also understand that many jobs are at stake and that’s why we have invested in town of Asbestos to produce our 100% asbestos free cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos.”
The province’s Liberal government had promised the town a multi-million dollar loan to keep the mines open but was defeated last year after voters decided that mesothelioma was a bad thing.
“We know that mining asbestos came with significant health hazards and political backlash” said Mayor Hugues Grimard before taking a long drag on a cigarette. “Fortunately, we have a new product to kick the asbestos habit; one that has a smooth, mature taste to it.”
