Health and safety of users and staff: Consignaction acts diligently and proactively

MONTREAL, Sept. 29, 2026 /CNW/ -- In response to a story by Jean-Thomas Léveillé in La Presse on September 28, 2026, Consignaction wishes to clarify certain points in order to put the facts in context. The issues raised in the story concern demands for corrective action and compliance adjustments made by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) and the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), all of which were resolved within the required timeframes. The existence of notices of non-compliance or requests for corrective action in no way implies that the safety of the public or employees was compromised, threatened or called into question.

It is important to distinguish between normal monitoring and continuous-improvement measures carried out by the competent authorities and situations that pose a genuine risk to health or safety.

Regarding the RBQ

A handful of notices of non-compliance were issued during the past year regarding certain improvement work carried out at Consignaction and Consignaction+ return sites. These concerned specific adjustments relating to compliance and construction requirements.

All the requested corrective measures were implemented within the required deadlines and the files in question were closed to the RBQ's satisfaction very quickly.

At no point during the implementation of corrective measures did the RBQ consider it necessary to order the shutdown of a site, the cessation of the use of equipment or the suspension of work. Such measures, which the RBQ can impose where warranted, were not required because the adjustments requested were minor and normal during a construction project.

Consignaction obviously takes every observation made by the RBQ seriously and works with its contractors to ensure that the requested adjustments are made promptly and that the learnings that arise from them are applied across the entire network.

Regarding the CNESST

This same distinction applies to the CNESST's interventions.

It is entirely normal during the rapid roll-out of a new network--and this applies to all businesses and workplaces in Quebec--for inspectors to visit premises, make observations and request certain adjustments they deem necessary. These interventions are part of prevention and continuous-improvement processes concerning workplace health and safety.

The observations made led to requests for corrective action, which were dealt with promptly. None of these incidents resulted in a site closure, a notice of closure or a finding that network employees were exposed to an imminent danger that required operations be halted.

Consignaction never trivializes any request from the CNESST. Quite the contrary: it treats every interaction as an opportunity to improve its practices. When areas for improvement are identified at a site, the priority is to implement corrective measures and ensure network-wide compliance.

The safety of the public and staff remains the priority during the network's operation and development. The facts show that, where adjustments were indeed requested by the appropriate authorities, they were made promptly and operations were able to continue safely.

About the Quebec Beverage Container Recycling Association (QBCRA)/Consignaction

Since 2001, programs branded with the Consignaction name have promoted beverage-container recovery to citizens and companies. Consignaction is the official emblem for promoting the activities of the QBCRA to the public and stakeholders. The QBCRA is the designated management body (DMB) for the development, implementation, financing and management of the modernized deposit-refund system, in line with the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR). Its members are the various beverage producers involved in the recovery, reuse, recycling and reclamation of beverage containers in Quebec. For more information, visit www.consignaction.ca.

SOURCE The Quebec Beverage Container Recycling Association (QBCRA)/Consignaction

Information: Elisabeth Larocque-de Freitas, 514 652-6887, [email protected]