American Iron & Metal Company Inc. (AIM) is a Canadian recycling company for scrap metal based in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1936 by Peter Black, it is under private ownership of his family, including Herbert Black, who serves as the CEO.[1]
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1936 |
| Founder | Peter Black |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Canada |
Key people | Herbert Black (CEO) |
| Website | aim-global |
History
editAmerican Iron & Metal was established in 1936,[2] as a scrapyard in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Montreal by Peter Black.[3]
In 2002, AIM established a scrapyard in Saint John, New Brunswick under a 40-year-lease with the Port of Saint John. In 2011, the company spent $30 million to expand its yard.[2] In 2014, the company purchased the Bucksport mill in Bucksport, Maine from paper mill company Verso Corporation, leading to the mill's closure.[4][5]
Incidents
editIn 2022, Delsan-AIM, a division of AIM based in Vaughan, Ontario,[6] received a $35,000 fine as a result of a 2019 "demolition-gone-wrong" which resulted in a large dust cloud covering a neighbourhood in Sherman Avenue North.[7][8]
On July 1, 2022, Darrell Richards, a worker in AIM's Saint John scrapyard, died as a result of a work accident. In 2024, AIM was fined $100,000 for the incident by New Brunswick Provincial Court Judge Claude Haché, and was made to fund a $7,000 scholarship in his name for the New Brunswick Community College.[9]
On the morning of September 14, 2023, a fire was reported at AIM's scrapyard in Saint John, which resulted in thick smoke and haze covering a large part of the city.[10][11] Following the incident, an investigative task force was made to look into the matter.[12] The company also received a fine for operating without a license at a facility in Moncton.[13][14] In December 2023, the task force said that "a catastrophic fire similar to that of Sept. 14, 2023, could recur." They also found the scrapyard's location "entirely inappropriate given its now known hazards and risks," given its nearby proximity to several houses in Saint John West.[15]
References
edit- ^ Gibson, Graham (6 November 2021). "AIM Celebrate 85 Years of Excellence – Comtree Inc". Comtreeinc.com. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ a b Wright, Julia (3 June 2024). "Saint John scrap-metal plant ordered to shut down immediately". CBC News. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Dubuc, André (29 September 2017). "Herbert Black a encore des rêves à réaliser". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Curtis, Abigail; Fishell, Darren (10 December 2014). "Future of Papermaking - Sale of Verso's Bucksport mill leaves union uneasy". Sun Journal. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Baumer, Jim (12 August 2020). "Bucksport: Life After the Mill". Island Journal. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Woman to seek damages for injuries from Toronto scaffolding collapse". CBC News. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Dongen, Matthew Van (25 June 2022). "Delsan-AIM fined over demolition dust plume that blanketed Hamilton neighbourhood". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Taekema, Dan (21 November 2019). "Meeting about demolition dust cloud hears community concerns, demands for apology". CBC News. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Sturgeon, Nathalie (14 February 2024). "American Iron and Metal ordered to pay $100K in N.B. workplace death - New Brunswick". Global News. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Sturgeon, Nathalie; Cooke, Alex (14 September 2023). "Massive fire breaks out, explosions heard at recycling facility in Saint John, N.B." Global News. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Smoke from scrapyard fire pollutes Saint John". The Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Moore, Nick (23 September 2023). "Former Saint John fire chief appointed to task force investigating AIM fire". CTV Atlantic. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Haggett, Derek (15 November 2023). "Recycling company fined for operating without a license". CTV Atlantic. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Magee, Shane (12 October 2023). "American Iron and Metal charged with operating unlicenced scrapyard in Moncton". CBC News. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ Urquhart, Mia (5 December 2023). "'Catastrophic' fire at AIM could happen again, task force says in harrowing account". CBC News. Retrieved 3 June 2024.