October 15, 2025 - Montreal, Quebec
Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers take all necessary steps to halt illegal transport of hazardous waste and hazardous recyclable materials, both domestically and internationally.
On October 14, 2025, the Court of Quebec ordered the company Canacha Inc. to pay a fine of $125,000, after pleading guilty to one count of violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The offence relates to a failure to comply with an environmental protection compliance order. The fine will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund.
In March and April of 2022, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers, working with Canada Border Services Agency officers, intercepted several shipping containers declared to contain bales of paper to be exported to India from the ports of Montreal and Halifax. However, the shipping containers were contaminated with household waste, including plastic and metal. The company Canacha Inc. could not export them to India, as they did not have the required authorization.
Following these findings, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers issued an environmental protection compliance order against Canacha Inc. This order required them, in addition to other requirements, to submit to the Department a detailed environmental management plan for their export activities and to ensure compliance with the Act.
As of September 9, 2022, the date by which the required remedial measures had to be in effect, the company had not submitted an environmental management plan to Environment and Climate Change Canada. Failure to comply with an environmental protection compliance order is an offence under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.
As a result of this conviction, the company's name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry. The Registry contains information on convictions of corporations registered for offences committed under federal environmental laws.
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