November 2011 — On October 5, 2011, Bill 89 entitled “An Act to Amend the Environment Quality Act in order to Reinforce Compliance” (the “Bill”) was sanctioned, reinforcing compliance with the Environment Quality Act (“EQA”). The EQA is a statute of public order that aims to protect the health and well-being of the population as well as of the environment, by monitoring industrial and commercial operations.

Bill 89 establishes three main measures to reinforce the EQA: i) the reinforcement of certain penal provisions, including regarding directors and officers; ii) the reinforcement of the powers of the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks (“Minister”); and iii) the establishment of an administrative penalty system. Several sections of this Bill came into force on November 4, 2011.

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