Canadian Court Fines Company for Violation

Metalex Products Ltd., headquartered in Richmond B.C., pled guilty to one count of unlawfully importing a hazardous waste, scrap lead shot, into Canada.

The Court fined the company $500 and ordered it to pay $4,500 to the Environmental Damages Fund, administered by Environment Canada. The money will be used to assist in a study to determine the cause of lead poisoning of trumpeter swans in the Fraser Valley.

Environment Canada laid the charges after conducting an investigation into the importation of scrap lead shot into Canada at the Pacific Highway border crossing. The Canadian Border Services Agency stopped the transport truck on last April as it attempted to enter Canada. In accordance with an inter-departmental agreement between the two agencies, Customs Officers immediately contacted Environment Canada Enforcement Officers who responded to inspect the shipment.

Subsequent analysis confirmed that the 27 drums of material contained lead shot, contaminated sand and slag material considered to be a hazardous waste under the Export and Import of Hazardous Waste Regulations of CEPA 1999. Metalex Products Ltd. is a commercial recycler and was attempting to import this waste for recycling in their lead smelting plant. Environment Canada had not been notified, and, thus, no import permit had been issued to import this shipment, as required by the legislation.