Horti-Pak Inc., which made plastic trays used in greenhouses, must pay $800,000 for a class action arising from a November 2002 fire at its plant in Kingsville, Ontario. The community was evacuated as a huge, black plume rose from the fire, depositing soot in nearby subdivisions. Residents were told to keep pets and children off lawns and not to eat produce from their gardens in the weeks after the fire. The plant was almost totally destroyed, and it took almost three months to clean up the site.
A class action was commenced by an organic farmer, a greenhouse operator and residents in the area evacuated during the blaze.
According to the Windsor Star, the organic farmer, who was put out of business by the fire, will get $125,000. The greenhouse operator, who lost his crop, will get $75,000. Each person in the area evacuated during the fire will be able to claim up to $700 from a $600,000 fund. Two charities - the Kingsville Community Food Bank and the Kingsville & Gosfield South Goodfellows Club - will receive $15,000 each out of the $600,000 fund on behalf of people who chose not to make a claim.
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