Quebec to take soil samples from trucks headed to Kanesatake to fight illegal dumping

Quebec’s Environment Department is taking soil samples from trucks headed to the Mohawk community of Kanesatake as part of an effort to fight illegal dumping in the area.

The operation is underway this week in collaboration with provincial police, and a department spokesperson says it’s part of an “action plan” to reduce dumping of contaminated soil on the territory west of Montreal.

Officials were in Kanesatake last week to inspect sites and collect soil samples along the shores of the Lake of Two Mountains, where residents say illegal dumping has been going on for years.

An Environment Department spokesperson says those samples are being analyzed and officials may inspect more trucks in the future.

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Fines for illegal dumping could reach $1 million for an individual and $6 million for a company.

A group in the nearby town of Oka is holding a training session Sunday to teach residents how to conduct road checks of trucks headed to Kanesatake, to pressure the Quebec government to do more to fight the problem.