Val-des-Sources

Val-des-Sources is a town in the Estrie region of Quebec, Canada, that was known as Asbestos from its founding until 2020, when residents voted to rename it. The town grew up around the Jeffrey Mine, one of the largest chrysotile asbestos mines in the world, which operated from the 1880s until 2011. The community changed its name to distance itself from the global stigma of asbestos and to attract new investment.

Origin

The new name, adopted in December 2020, is French for "Valley of the Springs," referring to local water sources. The town had been called Asbestos since the late 19th century after the mineral that was discovered and extracted there beginning in 1879, when the Jeffrey Mine was established by Charles Webb and W.H. Jeffrey.

Significance in Asbestos Context

For more than a century, Val-des-Sources (as Asbestos) was a primary source of the world's chrysotile asbestos, and fiber from the Jeffrey Mine was shipped to manufacturers across North America and Europe to make insulation, cement products, textiles, brake linings, joint compound, and floor tile. If you or a family member worked in construction, shipbuilding, automotive repair, or manufacturing in the 20th century, there is a meaningful chance the asbestos involved originated here. The town's history is also central to understanding Canada's long political defense of chrysotile, including government subsidies and export promotion that continued even as other countries banned the mineral, conduct that may be relevant to corporate knowledge and state-of-the-art arguments in your case.

Example Sentence

The industrial hygienist's report traced the joint compound used at the plaintiff's workplace back to chrysotile fiber mined at the Jeffrey Mine in what is now Val-des-Sources, Quebec.

Related Terms

Jeffrey Mine, Chrysotile, Quebec Asbestos Mining Association, Thetford Mines, Serpentine

Notes

• If you are reconstructing an exposure history, ask whether products you worked with were sourced from Canadian chrysotile suppliers. Invoices, shipping records, and product literature from the 1950s–1990s often name Quebec mines.
• The name change to Val-des-Sources occurred in 2020; older medical, industrial, and corporate documents will still refer to the town as "Asbestos, Quebec," so search both names when reviewing records.
• Defendants sometimes argue chrysotile is less hazardous than amphibole asbestos; your legal team should be prepared to address this with current scientific evidence, since chrysotile from Quebec is recognized by IARC and WHO as a cause of mesothelioma and lung cancer.
• Preserve any product packaging, MSDS sheets, or employer records that identify the source of asbestos fiber, as fiber provenance can strengthen claims against specific manufacturers.