Two companies in Quebec fined a total of $75,000 for breaching the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - Canadians value a safe and clean environment. The enforcement officers at Environment and Climate Change Canada work tirelessly to ensure that people and businesses comply with Canadian environmental laws.

On October 5, 2020, two companies in Quebec—150 Montréal-Toronto Inc. and Recydem Enviro Inc.—were fined a total of $75,000 after each pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching the PCB Regulations made under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The total amount of the fines will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund of the Government of Canada.

150 Montréal-Toronto Inc. commissioned Recydem Enviro Inc. to manage their equipment containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). During an inspection on February 20, 2015, enforcement officers from Environment and Climate Change Canada discovered that equipment containing PCBs was being used and stored on the premises.

150 Montréal-Toronto Inc. was fined $50,000 after pleading guilty to the non-compliant storage of PCBs between February 20, 2015, and January 30, 2018, in breach of paragraph 19(1)(b) of the PCB Regulations.

Recydem Enviro Inc. was fined $25,000 after pleading guilty to failing to send the PCBs for destruction to an authorized facility on or about March 19, 2016, as stipulated in paragraph 19(1)(a) of the PCB Regulations. 

As a result of this conviction, the companies' names will be listed in the Environmental Offenders Registry.

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Quick facts

• PCBs have been widely used for decades, particularly to make coolants and lubricants for certain kinds of electrical equipment, such as transformers and capacitors. PCBs are toxic, and steps have been taken under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 to control the use, importation, manufacture and storage of PCBs, as well as their release into the environment.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada administers the Environmental Damages Fund, which is a Government of Canada program that was created in 1995. The Fund ensures that court-awarded penalties are used for projects with positive environmental impacts.
• The Environmental Offenders Registry contains information on convictions of corporations obtained for breaches of certain federal environmental laws.

Associated links

• PCBs
• Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
• PCB Regulations
• Environmental Offenders Registry
• Environmental Damages Fund

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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada