Royal Plastic Inc. must pay $600,000 after violating Canada’s Environmental Protection Act.

The company, located on Étienne-Lenoir Street in Fabreville, was convicted by the Quebec Court on Monday, November 6, at the Laval Courthouse.

Royal Plastic Inc. pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act of 1999 and one count of violating regulations limiting the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in automotive painting products.

The fine will be paid into the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund.

Investigations and crimes

In April 2019, enforcement officers from Environment and Climate Change Canada conducted an inspection on the premises of Plastique Royal Inc., an auto body products distributor.

During the inspection, they found violations related to the sale of automotive refinish products, the concentration of volatile organic compounds in which exceeded the maximum concentration permitted by the regulation.

The agents then issued an environmental enforcement order to the company to immediately stop selling and providing the affected products.

The officials then conducted a follow-up inspection, analyzed the documents received as part of the enforcement order and compared the data with the analysis results of the sampled products.

They concluded that Plastique Royal Inc. continued to sell automotive refinish paints with a concentration of volatile organic compounds that exceeded the maximum concentration required by the regulations.

The company therefore continued to contravene subsection 3(2) of the Regulations.

Plastique Royal Inc. takes over. also contravene the Environmental Protection Enforcement Order under subsection 238(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999.

Entry in the register

As a result of this conviction, the company’s name is entered into the register of environmental offenders.

The registry contains information about convictions of companies for violations of federal environmental laws.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has created a free subscription service So that Canadians can be informed about the actions the Government of Canada is taking to protect our natural environment.

Please note that Canada’s environmental and climate change law enforcement agencies are responsible for ensuring that the public and businesses respect the laws and regulations that protect Canada’s natural environment.

Other facts

Volatile organic compounds are organic chemicals that can evaporate into the air.

They contribute to the formation of ozone and organic aerosols, which are two components of smog and are known to have harmful effects on human health and the environment.

Studies suggest that air pollution, including smog, is linked to an increased risk of respiratory and heart disease.

The regulation limiting the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in automotive paint products therefore aims to protect the environment and the health of Canadians from the effects of air pollution.

It establishes volatile organic compound concentration limits for 14 categories of automotive refinish products intended for use in Canada.

These products must meet established concentration limits before they can be manufactured, imported, offered for sale or sold in Canada. (BL)