The 9187-3125 Québec Inc. company (Action-Éco Environnement) fined $15,000 for a violation of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

November 7, 2022 – Shawinigan, Quebec – Environment and Climate Change Canada

Canadians know the value of a healthy and safe environment. Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers strive to ensure that businesses and the public comply with the acts and regulations designed to protect Canada’s natural environment.

On October 21, 2022, 9187‑3125 Québec Inc. (operating as Action-Éco Environnement) was fined $15,000 by the Court of Québec at the Shawinigan courthouse after pleading guilty to one count of violating the PCB Regulations. The fine will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund. The court also prohibited the company from performing any act or activity involving chlorobiphenyls (PCBs) or products containing them for the next five years.

Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers opened an investigation on May 1, 2019. The investigation revealed that Action-Éco Environnement stored products containing PCBs in a location that was not a PCB storage site, contrary to section 24 of the PCB Regulations, thereby committing a violation of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

As a result of this conviction, 9187‑3125 Québec Inc. will be listed on the Environmental Offenders Registry, which contains information on convictions against certain companies under federal environmental laws.

Quick facts

• Polychlorinated biphenyls, commonly known as chlorobiphenyls or PCBs, are toxic industrial chemicals that have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems and species that feed primarily on aquatic organisms. PCBs remain in the environment and in the living tissue of humans and animals for a very long time.
• Section 24 of the PCB Regulations provides that PCBs and products containing PCBs must be stored at a site that is:
  • a building, room, shipping container or other enclosed structure, or
  • an area that is enclosed by a woven mesh-wire fence, or any other fence or wall with similar security characteristics, and the fence or wall must be at least 1.83 m high.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada's enforcement officers conduct inspections and investigations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. They ensure that regulated organizations are in compliance with environmental protection laws and regulations.
• Created in 1995, the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund helps to ensure that good follows environmental harm by using fines from environmental violations to support projects that restore the environment and conserve wildlife and habitats. The Fund receives and redirects money from court penalties and settlements, usually investing in areas where the environmental damage occurred.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has created a free subscription service to help Canadians stay informed of the measures that the Government of Canada is taking to protect our natural environment.

Contacts

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Environment and Climate Change Canada
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media@ec.gc.ca