VPR News Asbestos Mine To Reopen After Loan From Quebec Government By Mitch Wertlieb, Ric Cengeri | July 5, 2012 Last week, the Quebec government of Premier Jean Charest announced that it would extend a $58 million loan to Balcorp, a Montreal company that owns the Jeffrey Asbestos Mine in Asbestos, Quebec, which has been closed since November.