Going after individuals for cleanups of historic contamination
continues to pay off for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.
The MOE Director issued a section 18 Order to five companies and
three individuals to cleanup outstanding environmental issues at an
old paper mill in Thunder Bay. The old Cascades paper mill
has extensive contamination, and has been the subject of
years of environmental orders and appeals. The provincial Ministry of Finance
also seems to have put up millions in public money in two failed
attempts to restart the mill.
The mill had had many owners and operators since 1918; the
orderees were the last four companies who owned the site (one
insolvent and one dissolved); the parent company of one owner, and
the presidents and COO of the last two owners. The six remaining
orderees appealed to the Tribunal. Following lengthy mediation, the
Environmental Review Tribunal conditionally
approved terms of settlement and amended the Order.
