The risk of aggression towards the staff of a Consignaction branch led the CNESST to order the suspension of the transport and handling of money there. Furthermore, no contract has yet been awarded for the recovery of the glass which will be collected there from March 1, 2025, and the packagers who have expressed their interest are growing impatient.

The return location for returnable containers Consignaction in Granby had to suspend the transport and handling of cash by order of the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST), in April , due to the “risk of assault” faced by staff.

“I judge that there is danger for the health, safety or physical integrity of workers and management staff,” wrote an inspector dispatched to the site on April 24 in her intervention report, which La Presse obtained.

The presence of the CNESST followed a complaint received two days earlier, as well as the article in La Presse, published the same morning, reporting this situation.

“The transport and handling of cash intended for filling the cash counter [are] unsafe[s]”, concludes the inspector, pointing out the use of employees’ personal vehicles, the use of a bag backpacks and the lack of specific training for carrying money.

Such a situation contravenes the Act respecting occupational health and safety, she indicates.

The publication of the La Presse article also “had the effect of increasing the pressure and risks” to which staff were already exposed, the report adds.

The CNESST ordered the very morning of April 24 to suspend the transportation and handling of money, ordering the establishment to “establish and apply security prevention measures” and to train its staff.

The risks arising from the transport and handling of cash had, however, been described by the Association québécoise de Récuperation des Containers de Beverages (AQRCB), the organization created by bottlers to manage the deposit system and which is working to set up the network of Consignaction return locations, underlines the CNESST report.

“All the employer representatives met mentioned that prior to the official opening of the Granby establishment [on April 11], the risks of aggression which could cause injury to workers during an attempted theft had been identified,” the inspector wrote.

The AQRCB had initiated discussions with a cash transport company, but no contract had been signed.

“The official opening date was still maintained,” wrote the inspector, specifying that the counter had been filled at least five times between April 11 and 24.

The AQRCB defended itself by asserting that the transport of funds was not carried out by employees of the Granby branch, an argument categorically rejected by the CNESST.

It was only two days after the article appeared in La Presse and the intervention of the CNESST, on April 26, that a contract was signed with the cash conveyor Brinks Canada, which led to the lifting of the suspension of transport and handling of funds.

“The employer will not know the days, times of fillings or the amounts transported,” said the inspector, adding that the AQRCB has developed a safe work procedure for its employees to unblock the ATM.

Called to react, the AQRCB tersely indicated to La Presse that it had “retained the services of a funds transfer firm for all return locations,” declared its spokesperson, Annie Jolicoeur.

The treatment of glass containers that will be returnable from March 1, 2025, such as wine bottles, has not yet been determined, since no contract has yet been awarded by the AQRCB, unlike most other materials.

“We want to invest in new facilities” to adequately meet demand, said Robert Julien, senior vice-president of 2M Resources, which requires some advance notice. “There is still time, but it is going quickly,” indicated the spokesperson for the Bellemare group, Robert Pilote.

“Significant investments remain to be made across Quebec and the industry needs visibility on future deposits to plan them,” added Raphaël Groulx, director of finance and shared services for Groupe Vision Environnement. “It is one minute to midnight if the objective is for this circular economy model to be ready at the beginning of 2025,” he estimates.

Glass processing capacity cannot be used as an excuse to push back the deposit again, Robert Julien had declared in May, during a summit bringing together the clean technology cluster. The AQRCB states that the file is following its course. “We are currently evaluating the offers received for glass conditioning based on their financial and environmental value,” indicated its spokesperson, Annie Jolicœur.