Competition Bureau Challenges Acquisition of Ridge Landfill by Canadian Waste Services Inc.

Backgrounder

April 26, 2000

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Initially, Canadian Waste Services had proposed the acquisition of all the waste management businesses of Browning-Ferris in Canada. However, in response to competition concerns raised by the Bureau in collection and disposal markets across Canada, the parties changed the transaction by significantly reducing the businesses to be acquired. As a result, Canadian Waste Services will not be acquiring the following assets and businesses which continue to be owned by Browning-Ferris:

• predominantly commercial collection businesses in Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, Thunder Bay, Windsor, London, Kitchener, Halton, Eastern Lakes (Napanee), Ottawa, Niagara;
• collection assets and landfill facilities in Montreal;
• residential collection businesses in Ontario;
• landfills located in Calgary and in Winnipeg;
• materials recycling facilities located in Victoria, Kelowna, Calgary, Ottawa/Kingston, and Winnipeg.

The businesses acquired by Canadian Waste Services consist of the Ridge landfill as well as certain other collection and disposal businesses of Browning-Ferris in Canada. Apart from the competition concerns related to the Ridge landfill, the acquisition of these other businesses does not raise competition concerns due to the presence of effective remaining competition in their markets.

By limiting the scope of the Tribunal application to the anti-competitive effects of the acquisition of the Ridge landfill, the Bureau hopes to achieve a timely resolution of this matter.