The recycling giant Ricova, accused by the Inspector General of having used deception to sell its recovered materials abroad, will be placed on the “black list” of the City of Montreal for a period of five years. The company and its subsidiaries will therefore no longer be able to participate in any call for tenders until 2027.
Posted at 9:26
In a presentation to the executive committee, the City confirmed that it is declaring “inadmissible for a period of five years” the businessman Dominic Colubriale, who owns Services Ricova and Ricova International. The subsidiaries of Ricova Lachine and Ricova RSC inc will also be declared incapacitated, and entered in the Register of ineligible companies, better known as the “black list”.
Montreal accuses the company of having “contravened article 14 of the Regulation respecting contract management”. The article in question affirms that “no one may, directly or indirectly, in the context of the preparation or presentation of a tender or in the context of the conclusion of a contract by mutual agreement or, carry out or attempt to engage in fraud”.
“We are taking an important step today. […] We are faced with a worrying situation and action must be taken,” explained the head of the environment on the executive committee, Marie-Andrée Mauger.
She says that the Montreal Residual Materials Management Plan (PGMR), adopted in 2020, has started “a process of changing the culture” in terms of recycling, which aims in particular to reduce the production of waste at the source. “There’s no way our administration is watching landfills in the metropolitan area fill up with arms crossed,” said Ms.me Mauger.
She also indicated that the City is “continuing its analysis” concerning the two contracts awarded to Ricova which were the subject of the investigation by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), but which are still in progress. A final analysis will have to decide on these two contracts in particular. In March, the BIG called for Ricova’s contracts to be terminated “as soon as possible” after an investigation revealed “deceitful tactics” by Ricova to avoid giving the City its fair share of the profits made on the sale. recyclable materials recovered on its territory.
Strong tensions
The City was also dissatisfied with the management of sorting centers by Ricova, whose problems led to overflows or the burial of thousands of tons of materials. The Plante administration denounced that the group kept “undeclared” income of $20 per ton.
As a sign of its desire to completely sever ties with Ricova, Montreal also intends to “register the name of anyone linked to Dominic Colubriale” on its blacklist.
In the office of Mayor Valérie Plante, it is said that a “major gesture was made this morning”. “We have taken ambitious steps in recent years, with the goal of making Montreal the greenest city in North America. […] No question that all these efforts will be reduced. Everyone must push in the same direction,” insisted press officer Marikym Gaudreault.
The whole thing comes as the recycling giant Ricova raised the tone on Wednesday, accusing the Plante administration of having made willful blindness in the file of the management of sorting centers.
In interview at The Press, the lead lawyer for Services Ricova, now represented by the strategic communications firm Ryan Affaires publiques, denounced the “accusatory” attitude of the City. “Treating the company as a fraudster is not only harmful for the company in question, but above all, it is so, so contrary to the facts. It’s extremely frustrating. We look at our rights, but we hope that we won’t need to go to court with that,” said M.e John Legault.