Lafarge Canada fined for dust pollution

Lafarge Canada Inc has been fined CAD$200,000 (US$145,395) for breaching the Environmental Protection Act, reports The Intelligencer. In October 2019 clinker dust from the company’s Highway 33 cement plant in Loyalist, Ontario, was blown onto cars, homes and lawns in Bath, a village lying 3km away from the plant.

An investigation into the incident, led by the Ministry of Environment, resulted in Lafarge Canada being charged, despite there being no health implications from the dust. Last month saw the Napanee Court in Ontario fine Lafarge, stating, “The conviction is for discharging or causing or permitting the discharge of a contaminant into the natural environment, namely clinker dust, which caused or was likely to cause an adverse effect,” according to a court bulletin. The company has nine months to pay the fine.