Hastings County CAO Jim Pine addressing Hastings County Council, January 26, 2017. (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Some new steps are being taken to track down the American assets of a former Belleville businessman who owes nearly a million dollars in provincial offences fines to Belleville, Quinte West and Hastings County.
In 2008, Sinclair, the owner of the Bakelite property in Belleville’s east end at the time, was sentenced to 10 months in jail on 15 environmental charges related to excavations on the contaminated site, and releasing toxins into the Bay of Quinte.
He served four months of the jail time.
Hastings County CAO Jim Pine announced Thursday the county has managed to get a “domesticated judgement” in Detroit, Michigan, meaning Ontario judgements apply there as well.
Pine says the idea is that if there are assets in the United States that we can look to to recover funds we want to make sure those judgements are registered and enforceable there.
He says it has taken time to get lawyers in place and file documents in court.
Pine says the issue is to get Sinclair into a legal “examination room”.
Meanwhile legal action in Canada continues against him on companies he may still own in Canada. Pine says the problem is finding out if there are any assets worth anything.
Sinclair had been charged with running a “chop shop” in Detroit, last year pleaded “no contest” to 10 counts of receiving and concealing stolen property, and paid $20,000 in restitution.
