The Minister of Sustainable Development made a commitment to Pointe Claire, the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Mr. David Heurtel, to require the complete decontamination of the Reliance Power Equipment site in the months ahead.
The Minister has signed a Ministerial Order compelling current and previous owners to proceed with complete rehabilitation of the site (as well as immediately adjacent lots if they are contaminated) and to carry out environmental monitoring of ground water, failing which the government will have this work carried out at their expense.
“The City of Pointe-Claire has an ongoing commitment to ensure residents’ health and safety,” said Mayor Morris Trudeau. “Ever since illegally stored PCBs were discovered on the site, we have made sure that all risks are eliminated as quickly as possible, and we are continuing to do so.”
Mayor Trudeau expressed his appreciation of the determination shown by Minister Heurtel and the government through this Ministerial Order. “Minister Heurtel is maintaining his commitment to the population,” said the mayor. “This is a highly contaminated site adjacent to a residential zone – rehabilitation is absolutely required.”
The illegal PCB storage site was closed by the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques as soon as its existence was revealed in August 2013. Since then, the Ministry has taken full responsibility for the site.
