A Bradford West Gwillimbury-based landscaping company and a director have been convicted of environmental violations after a property owner in Whitchurch-Stouffville complained about waste being dumped without permission.
Conceptos Group Inc. was convicted in the Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket Dec. 1 for submitting false or misleading information to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Juan Carlos Velazquez Ortega, the company director, was also convicted of one violation under the Environmental Protection Act as a result of the incident.
In October 2020, the owner of a property in Whitchurch-Stouffville contacted the ministry to report that waste had been deposited on the property without permission by Conceptos Group Inc., according to a court report.
The ministry contacted the company in February 2021 and requested information about the source of the deposited material and in March 2021, Velazquez Ortega responded to the ministry by email and attached an engineer’s report related to the Woodside Square Mall project in Toronto.
The ministry’s investigation revealed the deposited material at the site did not originate from the mall project, the report said, and the defendants’ email to the ministry was false and misleading.
The ministry’s Environmental Investigations and Enforcement Branch investigated and laid charges that resulted in the convictions.
Conceptos Group Inc. has been fined $30,000, plus a victim fine surcharge of $7,500, while Velazquez Ortega was fined $10,000 plus a victim fine surcharge of $2,500. The fines must be paid within 45 days.
