2026 NOHEIC Symposium

Didn't have time to register? NOHEIC invites you to contact its team to explore last-minute options. onicse@uqat.ca

The rooms reserved at the Albert Hotel for the duration of the symposium is fully booked.

Didn’t have time to book a hotel room? NOHEIC invites you to contact its team to explore last-minute options. onicse@uqat.ca 

NOHEIC would like to thank everyone who submitted a proposal for a presentation at the conference.

Note: Schedule translated by artificial intelligence. The French version prevails in the event of any discrepancy between the two versions.

FGMAT: Festival des guitares du monde en Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Sunday, May 24
4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Keynote Address, FGMAT Outdoor scene | Yves Gingras (UQAM) “Science, Media, and Politics”

5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Free music performance, FGMAT outdoor scene

5:45 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Opening cocktail reception

Monday, May 25: Scientific presentations
8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Welcome and registration

Session 1 – Living with Pollution
8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Oscar Labra, Fatiha Ikherbouchen, Ndeye Adama Ndiaye, Guerdie Bonhomme (UQAT) “Presentation of the research project: Contamination and Global Health (SSHRC 2025–2029)”

9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Kathleen Baldwin (City of Rouyn-Noranda) “Healthy Cities and Villages: 40 Years of Collaboration”

9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Mireille Roy-Mercier (UQAT-LASERN) “Improving the dialogue between government, science, society, and business regarding industrial contaminants”

9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Jessica Reggi (UQAM) “Combating Mining Pollution in Abitibi-Témiscamingue: The Case of the CPERN and the Horne Smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, 1977–1990”

9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Laurie Gagnon-Bouchard (University of Ottawa) “Environmental violence in Rouyn-Noranda: between latent and actualized violence”

10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Question period

Session 2 – Characterizing Atmospheric Contaminants
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Patrick Hayes, Emmet Norris (University of Montreal) “Source-receptor modeling of industrial emissions of metals and metalloids in Rouyn-Noranda”

11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Marie-Pier Joncas Reid (University of Montreal) “Variation in concentrations of metals and metalloids in atmospheric particles according to their size”

11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Aaron Goodman, Trystan Gagné, Kevin J. Wilkinson (University of Montreal) “Rapid sampling and characterization of arsenic and lead particles in the air in Rouyn-Noranda”

11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Question period

Lunch break
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. Free music performance, FGMAT outdoor scene

Session 3 – Soil Contamination: From Monitoring to Management
1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Audrey Houde-Forget (University of Montreal) “Eating Local, but Contaminated? Contamination of Urban Gardens Near Rio Tinto Facilities”

1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Josué Jautzy (CGC) “An invisible legacy: how legacy contaminants still circulate in the environment”

1:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Tiziano Lolli (INRS) “When shells speak: ostracods as indicators of metal contamination”

1:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Renato Quijada-Campos (UQAM) “Spatio-temporal modeling of metals in soils in Abitibi-Témiscamingue”

2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.  Émilie Robert and Selma Etteieb (CTRI) “Technological developments for the management and reduction of metal contamination”

2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Angana Kuri and Nicole Fenton (UQAT) “Microbial diversity in soils of rock outcrops along spatial gradients from the Horne Smelter, Rouyn-Noranda”

2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Question period

Session 4 – Contamination in Different Environments 
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Thibault Dewitte (University of Montreal) “Metals and Rare Earth Elements in the Diet in Mining Regions: Initial Results from Rouyn-Noranda”

3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Antonin Landa (UQAM) “Polymetallic contamination in various fish species from the Rouyn-Noranda region: liver concentrations and toxicological and biochemical effects”

3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Ernest-Louli Tewfik (INRS), Émilie Robert, Maryse F. Bouchard “Metal contamination in residential areas in Rouyn-Noranda: a citizen science study on snow and indoor dust in relation to proximity to the Horne Smelter”

3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Question period

End of the day
4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Main conference, FGMAT outdoor site | Chantal Pouliot (Laval University) “Learning from controversies: the role of academic freedom”

5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Free music performance, FGMAT outdoor scene

5:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Historical walk through Old Noranda (Registration required, limited spaces)

8:00 p.m. – 9:45 p.m. Screening of the play “Fondre” (Registration required, limited seating)

Tuesday, May 26: New scientific research and literature on pollution
8:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Scientific poster session

Session 5: Tomorrow’s research, today: the PRÉCISE call
10:30 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. Manon Pelletier and Sandy Lalonde (FRQ) Announcement of the projects selected under the PRÉCISE call for proposals from the Fonds de recherche du Québec, in partnership with ONICSE

10:55 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Presentations by the five recipients (10 min each)

Lunch break
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. Free music performance, FGMAT outdoor scene

Panel Discussion – “Literature and Science: The Art of Telling Stories About Pollution”
1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Introduction of panelists and background context

1:30 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. Gabrielle Izaguéré-Falardeau (author) “Arsenic, mon amour”

1:40 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. Jean-Lou David (author) “Arsenic, mon amour”

1:50 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Emmanuelle Jimenez (author) “Play Fondre”

2:00 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. Pierre Céré (author) “Voyage au bout de la mine”

2:10 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. Manon Tourigny (author) “Il était un lac au rat musqué”

2:20 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Marie Noëlle Blais (publisher) Éditions du Quartz

2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. General discussion with the panelists

End of the day
4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Grand closing conference, FGMAT outdoor site | Biz (Sébastien Fréchette) “The Mythology of the Windigo as a Framework for Analyzing the Contemporary World”

5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Free music performance, FGMAT outdoor scene

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Villes et Villages en santé de Rouyn-Noranda (VVSRN) – City of Rouyn-Noranda – UQAT “Launch of the social dialogue initiative” (Registration required, limited seating)