'How is it that Hydro-Québec waits until there's an outcry and a multitude of complaints before reacting?'
Hydro-Quebec has suspended one subcontractor and decided to no longer work with another due to safety concerns about the working conditions of their workers.
A CBC investigation revealed that LDomo Inc. and Gestion Sylvicole – which collectively received over $7.4 million in contracts to clear vegetation under Hydro-Québec’s transmission lines in 2024 – have committed violations related to health, safety and housing standards in their treatment of Hydro-Québec subcontractors.
Workers detailed harrowing travel conditions, including being forced to wade through chest-deep water to reach job sites.
In one instance, a video obtained by CBC shows a brush cutter from LDomo in Quebec’s Côte-Nord region crossing a river with his tools on his shoulder. The journey was necessary because a satellite phone provided by LDomo had run out of battery, leaving workers unable to contact a helicopter pilot meant to transport them.
Brush cutters are paid per hectare cleared, meaning their hours-long unpaid commutes, often on foot, come at a personal cost. Hydro-Québec acknowledged the risks in a June meeting with LDomo, describing the situation as “an incredible waste of time [and] energy for workers” and citing “increased risks of injury, fatigue, heatstroke, falls and more.”
Housing conditions also a problem
LDomo workers also complained about lodging conditions that did not comply with the CNESST guide for forestry workers.
The brush cutters complained they had to pay too much for lodging and some workers had to sleep in the kitchen.
Following CBC’s investigation, the Bureau de la normalisation du Québec (BNQ) conducted its own investigation and decided to suspend LDomo's certification, which is required for forestry companies carrying out non-commercial work on Quebec's public forest, according to CBC.
"LDomo can no longer operate until it meets the criteria for lifting the suspension," the BNQ said, according to the report.
Brush cutters are "like Mexicans in the fields,” said a Hydro-Québec executive who was not authorized to speak to the media, according to the report.
“White people don't want to do the job."
However, a foreman on LDomo sites in the Côte-Nord this summer, criticized the Crown corporation for being too slow to act.
"How is it that Hydro-Québec waits until there's an outcry and a multitude of complaints before reacting?" said Patrick Magabanya, who was among the workers who contacted the utility about "recurring poor organization" at LDomo and "degrading" and "abusive" treatment.
Seven former LDomo employees also reported paying excessive lodging fees, with some resorting to sleeping in kitchens. By contrast, other contractors in the forestry sector reportedly provide free housing for their workers.
Housing provided by Gestion is also a problem. The subcontractor housed four to a motel room, and forced them to share beds. In a rented condo, two workers, Léonard Kabeya Tshikuku and Hervé Horo, had to share the same bed.
“For me, it’s unimaginable. I would never have thought that here in Canada, we could see workers sharing the same bed,” said Tshikuku in the CBC report.
Such arrangements violate regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which explicitly prohibit assigning the same bed to multiple workers.
Hydro Québec, for the time being, does not plan to do business with Gestion again, reported CBC.
