City Investigation Proves Trash Hauler was Billing Montreal for Off-Island Trash

The city of Montreal has cancelled its contracts with the waste company Service Environnementaux Richelieu (SER) after a city investigation concluded the company violated its agreement with the city in several ways, including charging the city for collecting off-island trash.

The company received a 10-year contract from the city in 2008 and another four-year contract in 2017. The two combined are worth close to $35 million. A report from the city’s inspector general detailed that SER was able to operate unchecked due to lax monitoring from the city.

CBCNews has more information:

The findings were laid out in a 40-page report by Denis Gallant, the city's inspector general.

The investigation was launched in February 2017 after officials in Verdun found the company was collecting waste from private companies and billing the city for its time.

Surveillance showed that, in addition to mixing trash and recycling, the company was collecting garbage from restaurants, commercial businesses and private residences in Brossard, Longueuil, Saint-Basile-le-Grand, and Carignan, mixing it with the municipal garbage, and charging the city after it was dumped.

Investigators also witnessed drivers picking up construction debris from a private business in Verdun and adding it to its municipal collection. 

Read the full story here.