The Quebec government is going to court to fight the dumping of contaminated soil along a shoreline in the Mohawk community of Kanesatake, west of Montreal.
The Environment Department is seeking an injunction in Quebec Superior Court to stop the dumping of soil and waste material, tree-cutting and the construction of new buildings on 17 properties along the banks of the Lake of Two Mountains.
The injunction request names 17 defendants, mostly Kanesatake residents, and two companies that did work on the properties, but does not include other construction companies whose trucks were frequently seen transporting soil to the Mohawk territory.
Government officials collected soil samples in Kanesatake last month that court documents say were contaminated with hydrocarbons.
The department also claims that new buildings have been erected on the soil deposited along the shoreline, including a cannabis store.
Government lawyers were in court in St-Jérôme, Que., on Wednesday, but the judge postponed the hearing until Oct. 7 to give the defendants time to find lawyers.