The owner and operator of an asbestos removal company has
been sentenced to 45 days in jail for persistent non-compliance
with the Environmental Protection Act
("EPA").1 This is the
first jail sentence for an environmental offence in Ontario since
2013.2
According to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change
("MOECC"), Christopher Norman Joyce owned and operated
Joyce Energy Savings Company. The company removed asbestos from
buildings and stored the bagged waste in trailers. After financial
problems, the company abandoned the trailers.
The MOECC issued an Order to Mr. Joyce in 2013 requiring him to
hire a Qualified Person to remove the asbestos waste and to dispose
of it as required by law. Mr. Joyce did not comply with the Order
and, in 2014, pled guilty to the offence under the EPA of failing
to comply with an MOECC Order.
