Quebec government puts end to oil and gas exploration on Anticosti Island

QUEBEC -- The Quebec government has put an end to oil and gas exploration on Anticosti Island.

The province's energy and natural resources department says the decision announced today was made to protect the island's natural character and in support of its bid to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard increasingly distanced himself from the project after attending the international climate conference in Paris in 2015.

Couillard expressed concerns about environmental risks and had questioned the project's economic viability, repeatedly noting it was reached under the previous Parti Quebecois government.

In a news release, the government says negotiations are underway to get a number of companies to abandon their research rights.

To date, deals have been reached with Junex, Corridor and Maurel & Prom for a total compensation of $41.4 million.

Discussions are ongoing with Petrolia and Trans American.

In 2016, a judge rejected Petrolia's request for an injunction to force the government and a private firm to give it a total of nearly $13 million to ensure exploratory drilling on the island would go ahead as scheduled.

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