Watrous, Saskatchewan Dry Cleaner Required to Pay $1650 for environmental Offences

WATROUS, Sask. – August 9, 2010 – John “Jack” Wallace, owner of a local dry cleaning company operating under the name Watrous Cleaners, pleaded guilty in Saskatchewan Provincial Court on August 9, 2010, to two counts under the Tetrachloroethylene (Use in Dry Cleaning and Reporting Requirements) Regulations pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and one count under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

Tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene, and commonly called PERC, is a recognized dry-cleaning solvent and is designated as a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The company was sentenced to penalties totalling $1650 for not having proper secondary containment, for not completing an annual report, and for failing to comply with an Environmental Protection Compliance Order.

The Environmental Damages Fund is to receive $950 of the penalties. The Environmental Damages Fund is administered by Environment Canada, and was created in 1995 to provide the courts and companies with an option to direct monetary penalties and settlements to investments in the restoration of the environment. It helps ensure polluters take responsibility for their actions and enforces the “polluter pays” principle.

The conviction is a result of an investigation launched by Environment Canada in February 2009 following routine inspections.

Further information on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and the Environmental Damages Fund may be found at http://www.ec.gc.ca/cepaRegistry and http://www.ec.gc.ca/edf-fde.