News Release

For immediate release
November 5, 2007

RON CARTER AND QUINTE-ECO CONSULTANTS INC. FINED $84,000 FOR SUBMITTING FALSE INFORMATION TO THE MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

BELLEVILLE – Ron Carter has been barred from practicing as an environmental consultant for a period of two years and he and his company, Quinte-Eco Consultants Inc., have been fined $84,000, plus a victim fine surcharge, after being convicted on three counts of providing false information to the Ministry of the Environment.

Mr. Carter is the president of Quinte-Eco Consultants Inc. The company operates as an environmental consulting business and is located in Prince Edward County.

In the fall of 2005, Mr. Carter and his company were hired by James Sinclair who was conducting a site decommissioning at 621 Dundas Street East. Mr. Carter was hired to conduct sampling and provide environmental consulting services. On three separate occasions the ministry was advised by Mr. Carter that all samples taken by the company at the site had come back as non-detect for PCBs.

The court heard that a provincial officer from the ministry had visited the lab where the company had submitted its samples for analysis. The officer determined that three of the nineteen sample results submitted by the company had in fact tested positive for PCBs. Mr. Carter did not provide details of these three sample results to the ministry and, on several occasions, had told provincial officers that all sample results had come back as non-detect for PCBs.

Mr. Carter and Quinte-Eco Consultants Inc. were charged following an investigation by the Ministry of the Environment’s Investigations and Enforcement Branch.

Following a trial, Mr. Carter and Quinte-Eco Consultants Inc. were found guilty of three counts of giving or submitting false or misleading information to a provincial officer, contrary to s. 184(2) of the EPA. The company was fined $70,000 in total, while Mr. Carter was fined $14,000. Under the terms of a probation order imposed upon him, Mr. Carter is also prohibited from providing environmental consulting or advice for two years, the maximum suspension permitted by the Provincial Offences Act.

Justice of the Peace Donna Doelman heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice in Belleville, Ontario, in June 2007 and imposed sentence on October 31, 2007.

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UPDATE:  On February 14, 2008, an appeal decision was handed down by the Ontario Court of Justice.  Two convictions against Ron Carter and Quinte-Eco Consultants were upheld and one conviction was dismissed. Also, the probation period for Ron Carter was reduced from two years to one year.

Members of the media:
John Steele Communications Branch (416) 314-6666
Contact information for the general public: 416-325-4000 or 1-800-565-4923/ www.ontario.ca/environment

 

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