Safety-Kleen Ltd. Fined $100,000

YORKTON, December 3, 2001 - Safety-Kleen Ltd., also known as Safety-Kleen Services (Canada) Ltd. and Laidlaw Environmental Services Ltd. of Winnipeg, Manitoba was fined $100,000 in Yorkton Provincial Court, Saskatchewan, on Friday November 30, on charges relating to transport and export of hazardous waste.

Provincial Court Judge E.S. Bobowski sentenced Safety-Kleen Ltd. to a fine of $50,000 for failing to give notice of the proposed export of hazardous waste under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA,1999). They were also fined $25,000 on each of two charges under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDGR) for handling and transporting flammable materials without proper shipping documents and handling and transporting flammable materials without applicable safety marks.

The charges stemmed from the export of 54 drums of hazardous waste paint

by-products to a waste facility in North Dakota on October 15, 1998. Leon-Ram Enterprises Inc. of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, had contracted Safety-Kleen Ltd. to ship the waste to the facility.

Leon-Ram Enterprises Inc. had previously pled guilty to one charge under CEPA and one charge under the TDGR and on July 4, 2001 was sentenced to a fine of $4,000.

The investigation was conducted by Environment Canada and Transport Canada.

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 carries a maximum fine of $300,000 or up to six months in jail on summary conviction. The maximum fine under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act is $100,000.