Court Bulletin

For immediate release
December 4, 2008

FOUR MONTHS JAIL SENTENCE AND $659,000 IN FINES FOR JAMES SINCLAIR, THERMOSETS LIMITED, AND DEMOLITION AND RECYCLING INC.

BELLEVILLE – On December 2, 2008, James Sinclair, Thermosets Limited, and Demolition and Recycling Inc. were fined a total of $659,000 plus victim fine surcharges, for violating the Ontario Water Resources Act. Mr. Sinclair was also sentenced to four months in jail.

The Court heard that Thermosets Limited and Demolition and Recycling Inc. are businesses located at 621 Dundas Street East, in the City of Belleville. Mr. Sinclair is the president and sole director of these businesses.

The Dundas Street location is also the site of the former Bakelite manufacturing plant that produced resins and formaldehyde. Manufacturing at this location ceased in 1992.

Following investigations by the Ministry of the Environment’s Investigations and Enforcement Branch, on February 14, 2008 the defendants were convicted of various violations under the Ontario Water Resources Act. These violations related to excavations and discharges from the site, including the discharge of PCB contaminated sediments and failure to comply with Orders issued under the Act to remediate the site and clean-up the discharged sediment.

On December 2, 2008, Mr. Sinclair was fined a total of $71,000, Thermosets Limited was fined a total of $291,500 and Demolition and Recycling Inc. was fined a total of $296,500. All fines were exclusive of the victim fine surcharges. Mr. Sinclair was also sentenced to four months in jail.

Justice of the Peace Doran heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice in Belleville, Ontario and imposed sentence on December 2, 2008.

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For further information:
Members of the media: Kate Jordan 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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