The city of Shannon was born in December 1846 of a dismemberment of the territory of Saint-Catherine-de-Portneuf, following protests of this part of the population against the municipal taxes. Its population results historically from the emigration Irish, from where its name came from. The principal resources for a long time was the exploitation of wood bound for the shipyards of Quebec. The city is located near CFB Valcartier, an important Canadian military base.

Cancer cluster

More than 700 current and past citizens of Shannon, near Quebec City, are alleging in a class-action suit against the federal government that the chemical trichloroethylene seeped into the town's water supply. The lawsuit has ballooned to more than 1,300 people, including many with other illnesses allegedly linked to TCE and relatives of deceased persons who once resided in Shannon. According to lawyers, the number could eventually reach as many as 2,000. TCE is a manufactured chemical that is mainly used as a solvent to remove grease from metal parts in the automotive and metals industries. It is also an ingredient in adhesives, paint removers, typewriter correction fluids and spot removers. TCE is further used as a chemical building block to make other chemicals. It was formerly used as a general anesthetic, an alternative to ether or chloroform; as a solvent in dry-cleaning; and to extract oils, caffeine and flavours from plants.

“I have no doubt that the toxicology reports have determined the direct link between the cancer incidents and the trichloroethylene in the water,” said toxicology expert Michel Charbonneau, who worked with the Pittsburgh group. The suit is scheduled to be heard in Quebec Superior Court.