The Commission de la protection du territoire agricole du Québec confirms the opening of an investigation to verify the compliance of Sterling Recycling Service, manager of an ecocentre in Mirabel, which uses materials destined for landfill sites to backfill a agricultural land.
“The Commission is greatly concerned by the information and images that were released on Wednesday morning by The duty “, indicates by email Stéphane Labrie, president of the Commission for the protection of the agricultural territory of Quebec (CPTAQ).
He confirms that an “investigation file has been opened” and that “teams from the Commission will quickly check the compliance” of the site, with regard to the authorizations issued and the laws governing the agricultural sector. “In the event that non-compliances are observed, appropriate action will be taken by the Commission,” he adds.
The duty revealed on Wednesday that the manager of the ecocentre in the Saint-Canut sector in Mirabel, Sterling Recycling Service (SRS), uses materials it receives to backfill agricultural land behind its sorting center: demolition debris , construction residues and pieces of plastic and glass. Bulldozers then spread a layer of cultivable soil over these residues.
In Quebec, backfilling in agricultural land can only be done with good quality cultivable soil. No backfilling can be done without the green light from the CPTAQ, guardian of arable land, and without having been prescribed by an agronomist. The Commission has not granted any landfill authorization to SRS.
The Minister of Agriculture, André Lamontagne, also reacted. He for his part recalled that it was “imperative to protect the agricultural territory”: “The objective with the current investigation by the Commission is to act quickly if action must be taken, in the event of an infringement. »
“The Commission has powers to compel, whether by order or by a request to the superior court, in particular to order the restoration of the premises”, he explains, specifying to follow “this file with great interest. . »
” I did not know “
On Wednesday, Quebec Environment Minister Benoît Charette told the Duty that audits will be carried out at the SRS site “to ensure that the terms and conditions are respected and that the environmental conditions are also respected. »
Later in the day, his ministry confirmed that inspections will take place shortly, specifying that the environmental authorizations of the SRS company do not allow under any circumstances “the burial or the accumulation [de matières] beyond the authorized quantities, areas or surfaces”.
SRS holds authorizations to operate a residual materials sorting center as well as to crush and store concrete, brick and ceramic waste.
“I would like to point out that, like my colleagues from the City, I was not aware of the backfilling carried out,” assured the mayor of Mirabel, Patrick Charbonneau, by email. According to the business register, the latter currently chairs the Corporation for the Protection of the Environment of Mirabel, an organization that visits the ecocentre managed by SRS several times a week.
Mr. Charbonneau indicates that the municipality undertook to react as soon as it was informed that a backfill was being carried out without authorization. SRS did not apply for a permit from the city for the backfilling work in the agricultural zone.
Inspectors went to the ecocentre. “The Service du contentieux of the City of Mirabel is therefore currently checking the file in question and will make its recommendations to the council for the next steps,” he wrote.