Superior General Partner Inc. - conviction information for 2026-01-07
| Corporation name: | Superior General Partner Inc. |
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| Address: | 401-200, Wellington Street West |
| City: | Toronto |
| Province/territory: | Ontario |
| Postal code: | M5V 3C7 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Sector or industry: | 325 - Chemical manufacturing |
| Location of offense: | 101 Donaldson, Gatineau (Buckingham sector), Quebec |
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| Case summary: |
ERCO MONDIAL chemical manufacturing plant in Gatineau (Buckingham sector), manufactures and supplies inorganic chemical compounds such as sodium chlorate and sodium chlorite. In its industrial process, water used to cool equipment is discharged into the Rivière du Lièvre. Until April 2021, the ERCO MONDIAL facility in Gatineau (Buckingham sector) operated as a division of Superior General Partner Inc.
On July 24, 2019, ERCO MONDIAL notified Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) of a discharge of sodium chlorite through its final effluent. On July 19, 2019, ERCO MONDIAL detected elevated concentrations of sodium chlorite in its cooling water caused by equipment failure. A review of internal effluent quality monitoring results revealed sodium chlorite concentrations of up to ten (10) times the normal limit in effluent discharged between July 2 and July 19, 2019. Sodium chlorite is a deleterious substance within the meaning of the Fisheries Act, that is, a substance harmful to fish or fish habitat or to the use by man of fish that frequent such waters.
Inspections were conducted at the ERCO MONDIAL facility by ECCC enforcement officers. An investigation was subsequently initiated.
The investigation established beyond a reasonable doubt that twelve (12) discharges of sodium chlorite into the Rivière du Lièvre occurred between June 27 and July 19, 2019. Furthermore, the investigation determined that employees delayed identifying the leak and that five days elapsed before ECCC was notified.
On January 7, 2026, Superior General Partner Inc. pleaded guilty to twelve (12) counts of depositing a deleterious substance, namely sodium chlorite, in water frequented by fish between June 27 and July 19, 2019, contrary to the Fisheries Act. The company also pleaded guilty to one (1) count of failing to notify an inspector or other prescribed authority without delay of the occurrence of a deposit of a deleterious substance, as required under the same Act. The total amount of the fines will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund. The company was sentenced by the Court of Québec to pay a total fine of $1,350,000 for these offences under the Fisheries Act.
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| Charges: |
On June 19, 2024, eighteen (18) charges were laid as follows:
One (1) count was laid against Superior General Partner Inc. for having, between July 19, 2019, and July 23, 2019, failed to notify without delay of an unauthorized deposit of a deleterious substance into waters frequented by fish, contrary to subsection 38(5) of the Fisheries Act.
Seventeen (17) counts were laid against Superior General Partner Inc. for having, on seventeen (17) occasions between June 27 and July 19, 2019, deposited or permitted the deposit of a deleterious substance into waters frequented by fish, namely sodium chlorite in the Rivière du Lièvre, contrary to subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act. |
| Enforcement notification: | Superior General Partner Inc. and one individual fined a total of $1,365,000 for violating the Fisheries Act |
| Result: | Guilty Plea |
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| Date of conviction: | 2026-01-07 |
| Court level: | Provincial and Territorial Court |
| Nature of offense(s): |
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| Additional details about the nature of the offense: |
| Act | Regulations | Section(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Pollution Prevention provisions (subsection 36(3)) of the Fisheries Act | 36(3) & 38(5) |
| Date of sentencing: |
2026-01-07 |
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| Location of sentencing: | Gatineau |
| Sentence(s): |
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| Amount of fine(s): | $1,350,000 |
| Sentencing details: |
On January 7, 2026, Superior General Partner Inc. pleaded guilty to twelve (12) counts of depositing a deleterious substance in waters frequented by fish and to one (1) count of failing to notify without delay, contrary to subsections 36(3) and 38(5) of the Fisheries Act.
The company was sentenced to pay a total fine of $1,350,000, apportioned as follows:
$1,200,000 for the twelve (12) counts under subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act;
$150,000 for failing to notify without delay, contrary to subsection 38(5) of the Fisheries Act.
The Court also made an order pursuant to subsection 40(7) of the Fisheries Act, recommending that the fines paid to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund be directed primarily to projects in the administrative region of Outaouais, Province of Quebec. |