Toxic Imports

Canada is importing huge amounts of heavy metals, solvents and sludge for disposal each year, according to a new report by the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. Most of this toxic waste is headed for Quebec--about 299,000 metric tonnes a year. Ontario receives a little less--294,000 metric tonnes. The rest of the country absorbs about 635,000 metric tonnes. The reason, believes Mark Winfield, one of the authors of the report, is weak environmental laws. "We have no statutory, regulatory standards for hazardous waste disposal that are in any way comparable to the rules which are now in place in the United States," he said recently. For the past seven years, the US has required companies to process toxic waste before disposal.< cbc.ca > June 18, 2001