The hardware store Canac-Marquis Grenier will have to pay a fine of $40,000 for violating a law protecting species at risk.
The company pleaded guilty on Thursday to the charge of violating prohibitions under the Emergency Order for the Protection of the Western Chorus Pippin. The fine must be paid to the Receiver General for Canada. It was during a routine patrol on March 23 in the municipality of La Prairie that officers saw piles of snow containing debris in an area covered by the decree.
An investigation revealed that between December 21, 2021 and March 23, 2022, the company blew snow from the lumber yard of its La Prairie branch into chorus frog habitat. However, it is prohibited to pour, reject, deposit or immerse any material or substance, in particular snow, in the area of application of the decree.