Why did the Ministry give up authority over GE’s contamination of its Monaghan Road Parkng Lot with PCBs?

On this page

• Background
• Questions for the Ministry
• Ministry’s Response
• Licence

Background

On June 21, 1995, the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Ministry) issued Director’s Instructions to General Electric that accorded with GE’s own proposals for the interim in-situ management of PCB waste at GE’s Monaghan Road Parking Lot.

The Director’s Instructions included these provisions:

1. On annual basis, GE will conduct a “review of commercially available and financially feasible destruction or disposal methods for the PCB materials stored at the interim PCB waste management area.” [provision 4]
2. In an Annual Report, GE will summarize the results of its review of these methods to the Ministry. [provision 4]
3. In its Annual Report, GE will provide details justifying the continuation of the use of the interim PCB waste management area to the Ministry. [provision 6]
4. Once a destruction method becomes commercially available for the destruction of all PCB material located at the interim PCB waste management area, GE will provide a timetable for this destruction to the Ministry within six months. [provision 6]

On March 6, 2024, the Ministry issued Director’s Order 1-228916698. The Director’s Order replaced the Director’s Instructions of 1995 and eliminated – with no explanation – any provision in the Director’s Instructions for GE someday destroying or disposing of PCB waste at the Monaghan Road Parking Lot.

Questions for the Ministry

1. Under the terms of the Director’s Instructions of June 1995,
   1. What methods had GE reviewed annually for destroying or disposing of the PCB waste at its Monaghan Road Parking Lot?
   2. What results of these reviews had GE included in its Annual Reports on its ground and surface water monitoring program?
   3. What justifications for continuing to maintain PCB waste at its Monaghan Road Parking Lot had GE included in these Annual Reports?
2. In the Ministry’s opinion,
   1. What methods are currently available for destroying or disposing of the PCB waste at GE’s Monaghan Road Parking Lot?
   2. Are any of these methods financially feasible for GE?
3. Will the Ministry reinstate the provisions in the Director’s Instructions for GE someday destroying or disposing of PCB waste at its Monaghan Road Parking Lot?

See my correspondence with David Bradley, Director, Peterborough Distict Office, MECP and Dave Smith, MPP on September 17, 2026.

Good Neighbours Deserve Answers.

Ministry’s Response

On October 13, 2026, the Ministry provided this response:

“GE Vernova is responsible for determining available remediation options, including their technical applicability, commercial availability, and associated costs, relating to their management of on-site contaminants.

“In August 2020, both a Human Health Risk Assessment and Ecological Risk Assessment were conducted by AECOM consulting on behalf of General Electric Canada for the 1063 Monaghan Road site. These assessments were undertaken using Risk Assessment considerations made under Ontario Regulation 153/04 [Records of Site Condition] under the Environmental Protection Act.

“Based on the Risk Assessments, the ministry considers the current management practices at the site to be acceptable. As detailed by the Director’s Order, continued monitoring will be undertaken to confirm the ongoing effectiveness of the management strategy and to ensure risks remain appropriately mitigated.

“Considering these findings, revocation of the Director’s Instructions, with continued oversight through the requirements of the Director’s Order, was considered the most appropriate regulatory approach and tool for the site at this time.”

See the response from David Fisher, Supervisor (Acting) with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP).

It’s concerning that the MECP gave the public no opportunity to comment on AECOM’s Human Health Risk Assessment and Ecological Risk Assessment in 2020 before giving up authority over GE’s PCB contamination of the Monaghan Road Parking Lot.

On October 19, 2026, the MECP acknowledged receipt of my FIPPA request for the following records: (1) AECOM’s Human Health Risk Assessment (August 2020) for GE’s 1063 Monaghan Road site; (2) AECOM’s Ecological Risk Assessment (August 2020) for GE’s 1063 Monaghan Road site; and (3) Any additional Human Health Assessment or Ecologicial Risk Assessment that AECOM conducted for GE’s other sites on Monaghan Road or Park Street North.

See the MECP acknowledgement of my FIPPA request.

Meanwhile, we may infer from Ontario Regulation 153/04 that

• A qualified person has taken a sample of sediment, soil or ground water from the land or water on, in or under a property for the purpose of analysing the sample for a contaminant as part of a risk assessment. (s. 47(1) Analytical procedures), and
• A qualified person has submitted a sample to a laboratory for analysis for a contaminant in accordance with the Analytical Protocol, unless the laboratory has obtained the written permission of the Director to use another analytical method for that contaminant. (s. 47(2) and s. 47(4))

Ontario Regulation 153/o4 makes no mention of either “Human Health Risk Assessment” or “Ecological Risk Assessment” that the MECP’s response references. However, the Analytical Protocol, buried inside Ontario Regulation 153/04, includes seven references to publications of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, some of which point to .

In turn, these references include:

• One bibliographic reference:
  • “CCME – Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment” (Acronyms, p. 6)
• Three irrelevant references fo Petroleum Hydrocarbons:
  • “PHCs in soil and sediment E3421 Note: The analysis of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) must be in accordance with the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) method2, which is composed of both ‘prescriptive’ and ‘performance based’ elements” (p. 40)
  • “Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) “Reference Method for the Canada wide Standard for Petroleum Hydrocarbons (CWS-PHC) in Soil – Tier 1 Method.” (fn 2, p. 40)
  • “Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). Reference Method for the Canada wide Standard for Petroleum Hydrocarbons (CWS-PHC) in Soil – Tier 1 Method. 2001” (References, p. 103)
• Three potentially relevant references:
  • “This protocol sets out the sample handling and storage requirements, analytical methods and method specific quality control and assurance procedures for laboratories established by recognized organizations: … Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME)” (p. 12)
  • “The analytical methods described in this section derive from the following sources: … “Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). Guidance Manual for Environmental Characterisation in Support of Environmental and Human Health Risk; Volume IV: Compendium of Analytical Methods for Contaminated Sites (2015 release date TBD)” (p. 32)
  • “Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). Guidance Manual for Environmental Characterisation in Support of Environmental and Human Health Risk; Volume IV: Compendium of Analytical Methods for Contaminated Sites (2015 release date TBD)” (References, p. 103)

The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) addresses “Environmental Characterization in Support of Environmental and Human Health Risk” in four volumes:

• Volume 1: Guidance Manual (2016)
• Volume 2: Checklists (2016)
• Volume 3: Suggested Operating Procedures (2016)
• Volume 4: Analytical Methods (2016)

I will wait for the MECP’s response to my FIPPA request for AECOM’s Human Health Risk Assessment and Ecological Risk Assessment for GE’s 1063 Monaghan Road site (August 2020) before assessing AECOM’s assessments against the standards and methodologies set by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment..

Licence

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