The Municipality of Huron-Kinloss has been fined $20,000 for a pair of violations under the Ontario Environmental Protection Act.
According to the Ministry of Environment, one of its inspectors was at the Ripley Landfill to conduct an inspection on June 28, 2023 when they witnessed a commercial waste hauling truck driver use a key to enter the closed facility. The driver then dumped a load of garbage with no site supervisor or attendant present.
Municipal staff later told the inspector that some commercial waste haulers had been given keys to allow them into the landfill outside of operating hours, which is a violation of the Environmental Protection Act.
The inspector also saw two active burn piles including one in an area that was open and accessible to the public. Under the landfill's design and operation plan, burning is only to be conducted on days when the site is closed to the public and under the supervision of a site supervisor.
The municipality was convicted of the offences in a Walkerton court last September. It has been ordered to pay $16,000 for the violations, as well as a $4,000 victim fine surcharge.
