The federal Competition Bureau of Canada has applied to the Competition Tribunal to overturn the merger of two companies involved in the disposal of hazardous waste in northeastern B.C.
The bureau said the merger between Calgary’s CCS Corp. and Complete Environmental would eliminate competition in the market that would otherwise exist if CCS and Complete Environmental were separate businesses.
CCS operates two secure landfills in northeastern B.C. that are authorized to accept hazardous waste produced at oil and gas fields. Complete Environmental had spent a couple of years obtaining environmental approval from the provincial government with the goal of opening a new Babkirk secure landfill located near Mile 115 on the Alaska Highway.
The Bureau contends that the entrance of Complete Environmental would have created competition in the market and likely would have lowered tipping fees for producers of hazardous waste. It also suggests CCS’s acquisition was explicitly meant to prevent competition by either acquiring the Babkirk project or simply preventing further development of another secure landfill site.
It’s suggesting to dissolve the merger be dissolved because, “the likely substantial prevention of competition will not be remedied by other potential competitors because there are high barriers to entry.”
CCS has 45 days to file a response otherwise the tribunal could make a decision without the company’s input.