Long-awaited cleanup of PCBs in Pointe-Claire has begun

Cleanup crews started arriving last week to prepare for the removal of contaminated soil from a West Island property.

Juste Investir, located on Hymus Boulevard in Pointe-Claire, has been mandated by the Quebec environment ministry to clean up the site where polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were once illegally stored.

The company has 32 weeks in which to do the work.

READ MORE: Quebec won’t release report on PCB contamination in Pointe-Claire

PCBs were initially discovered on the property in barrels and other containers six years ago. At the time, the property was owned by Reliance Power Equipment. All of the machinery on the land has since been removed but the soil was untouched.

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DEC Enviro, one of the companies overseeing the cleanup, refused to comment.

WATCH: Quebec judge rules Pointe-Claire PCB-contaminated landowner must submit cleanup timetable

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The Green Party of Quebec, which has been monitoring the cleanup, insists bureaucratic hurdles have allowed the contaminated soil to remain untouched.

“It’s completely ridiculous that it’s six years to clean up this toxic product that spilled into the soil that should have been done immediately,” said Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec. “It should have been done in the summer of 2013 and here we are in the summer of 2019 and they’re going to take care of it.”

READ MORE: Montreal receives $75M from provincial government to rehabilitate contaminated land

According to the City of Pointe-Claire’s website, there has never been a public health risk despite the soil remaining contaminated and untouched for years.