115.1. The Minister may take all such measures as he may indicate to clean, collect or contain contaminants that are or that are likely to be emitted, deposited, discharged or ejected into the environment or to prevent their being emitted, deposited, discharged or ejected into the environment, where he considers such measures necessary to avert or diminish the risk of damage to public or private property, human beings, wildlife, vegetation or the general environment.
The Minister may also, where the measures the Minister takes under the first paragraph concern the presence of land contaminants, require registration in the land register of a notice of use restriction, a notice of contamination or a notice of decontamination, as the case may be, respectively referred to in sections 31.47, 31.58 and 31.59, which apply with the necessary modifications.
The Minister may claim the direct and indirect costs related to such measures or registration in the land register, in the same manner as any debt owing to the Government, from any person or municipality who had custody of or control over the contaminants and from any person or municipality responsible for the emission, deposit, discharge or issuance of the contaminants, as the case may be, whether or not the latter has been prosecuted for infringement of this Act. Liability is joint and several where there are several debtors involved.
1978, c. 64, s. 41; 1982, c. 25, s. 14; 1984, c. 29, s. 21; 2002, c. 11, s. 8.