Individual fined $5,000 for Environmental Protection Act violation

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Convicted - John F. Laprade

Court Location - Brockville

Description of Offence - The conviction is for depositing waste, namely hauled sewage, upon land that was not an approved waste disposal site.

Date of Offence - During the period beginning on or about April 3, 2021, and ending on or about December 17, 2021

Date of Conviction - February 21, 2024

Penalty Imposed -

• John F. Laprade was convicted of one violation (count) under the Environmental Protection Act, fined $5,000 plus a victim fine surcharge of $1,250 and given six months to pay.

Background -

• John Laprade owns and operates a septic and holding tank cleaning and pumping business. The business is located in Merrickville, Ontario and operates a waste management system under ministry approval.
• Through his business, Mr. Laprade collects and hauls sewage waste, which is then disposed of through field spreading under an environmental compliance approval (ECA). The site for which the ECA was issued is located in Montague Township, Lanark County.
• In July and August of 2020, the ministry informed Mr. Laprade that the ECA for the hauled sewage disposal site had expired. The ministry subsequently provided Mr. Laprade with materials to assist him in applying to renew the ECA.
• In July and August of 2021, the ministry contacted Mr. Laprade several times to advise that an ECA renewal application had not been received. The ministry also requested that Mr. Laprade provide records for 2020, including an annual report and spill prevention plan.
• In September 2021, ministry staff attended the site to conduct an inspection and observed that recent hauled sewage waste spreading activities had occurred at the site. The ministry made a follow up request to Mr. Laprade for the required 2020 documents, as well as 2021 sewage disposal records.
• The ministry received several documents from Mr. Laprade in September 2021, including a spill prevention plan and an application to renew the hauled sewage disposal site ECA, however the 2021 sewage disposal records were not provided.
• Ministry staff subsequently contacted Mr. Laprade regarding the missing 2021 documents and further advised him that the hauled sewage disposal site ECA application would need to be redirected to the ministry's approvals branch for processing. Mr. Laprade was advised to cease using the site without obtaining an ECA approval.
• In subsequent correspondence with the ministry, Mr. Laprade acknowledged that he had been spreading sewage waste on the site in 2021 without ministry approval. This was later confirmed by 2021 sewage disposal records obtained by the ministry.
• The ministry's Environmental Investigations and Enforcement Branch investigated and laid charges which resulted in the conviction.

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