Two companies received hefty fines on Thursday after being found guilty of several violations of environmental laws, including working in wetlands without official authorization.
Cannabis producer Hexo Operations Inc. was found guilty by the Court of Quebec of having carried out work in wetlands in Gatineau without having obtained authorization from the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP ).
The company specializing in the production of cannabis for medical purposes and recreational use was ordered to pay $138,371 for violating the Environmental Quality Act. During the hearing held last February, an order was also made to require the company to “carry out work to repair and mitigate damage to affected environments”.
The illegal work was carried out in 2018 and 2019 on the company’s site located in Gatineau, on the banks of the Lièvre River.
Remember that since June 2017, the MELCC has authorized the filling of wetlands in Quebec in exchange for financial compensation, paid to the State Environmental and Water Protection Fund. As of December 31, 2023, the Ministry had authorized the destruction of a little more than 120,000 square meters of wetlands in the Outaouais region in exchange for compensation totaling $6.2 million.
For its part, the company Ferme Joliet inc., in Lanaudière, was found guilty of five violations of the Environmental Quality Act. The company was fined almost $125,000 for several illegal works, including activities in wetlands without authorization from the MELCCFP.
Ferme Joliet is also subject to an order requiring it to “restore the premises to a state close to their initial state”.
Note that in six and a half years, the MELCC has authorized the destruction of nearly 310,000 square meters of wetlands in Lanaudière in exchange for compensation totaling $9.6 million.
Between 2018 and 2022, 3.3 million square meters of wetlands were illegally destroyed in Quebec, according to figures sent to The Press by the MELCC. An area which represents 22% of the areas filled legally with the approval of the Ministry since 2017 since the entry into force of the Law concerning the conservation of wetlands and bodies of water.
As of December 31, 2023, the MELCC authorized the destruction of 23.3 km2 wetlands in exchange for compensation totaling just over $173 million. Barely 1% of these funds have been invested to date in the creation or restoration of equivalent environments.