Accessibility and Access Keys [0]
TORONTO – Only about 140 Ontario companies will be subject to a tough new anti-pollution law that provides fines of up to $100,000 per day, the environment minister said Tuesday.
“Our penalties would not apply to municipalities or the vast majority of businesses in this province,” said Leona Dombrowsky in a speech to business leaders at the Economic Club of Toronto.
“The penalties would apply only to facilities that are regulated under [the Municipal Industrial Strategy for Abatement program]. Right now, that list is about 140 large facilities.”
After the speech, Dombrowsky denied that the government was softening its approach to industrial polluters.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “It is a clarification though.
“We need to address the fact that large spills of nasty chemicals into waterways that provide drinking water for people in Ontario, that companies who are responsible for that … will be responsible for the costs.”
Dombrowsky said it was never the government’s intention to make the new fines apply to the “vast majority” of Ontario businesses.
New Democrat MPP Marilyn Churley called the “clarification” an attempt to water down the new rules before they even come into effect.
“The original announcement suggested that they were going to get tough on all polluters and make polluters pay,” said Churley. “Now it’s just make some polluters pay.
“This is the sound of the government in full retreat.”
If passed, the new legislation would provide fines of up to $20,000 a day for individuals and $100,000 a day for corporations responsible for illegal spills or emissions.
Those penalties would be assessed by the Environment Ministry, rather than the courts, and could be handed out within days of an offence.
with files from the Canadian Press