Environment: 1)Nuclear refurbishment done and under budget at Ontario’s Darlington plant: minister; 2)Estée Lauder fined $750k for using ‘forever chemicals’ in some eyeliners
1)Nuclear refurbishment done and under budget at Ontario’s Darlington plant: minister
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Allison Jones, February 2, 2026
A nuclear refurbishment at the Darlington power plant is now complete and the unit is set to soon return to service.
Energy Minister Stephen Lecce is making the announcement today, saying the refurbishment is four months ahead of schedule and $150 million under budget.
The overall refurbishment budget was $12.8 billion.
Refurbishing the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station involved all four nuclear reactor units and extends the station’s operating life to at least 2055.
Premier Doug Ford’s government is leaning heavily into nuclear power as a way to meet the province’s fast-growing electricity needs, also planning four small modular reactors at Darlington.
As well, the province is exploring a new, large-scale plant at Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ont., considering a new nuclear plant near Port Hope, Ont., and refurbishing units at the Pickering nuclear plant to extend its lifespan.
2)Estée Lauder fined $750k for using ‘forever chemicals’ in some eyeliners
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Catherine Morrison, February 3, 2026
The company has pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
In May 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers found the company was selling some eyeliner products that had perfluorononyl dimethicone listed as an ingredient.
The substance is a silicone polymer used in makeup to increase hold, durability and water resistance, and is among the class of substances known as PFAS.
That’s a group of more than 1,200 chemical compounds whose failure to break down easily in the environment or the human body has given them the name “forever chemicals.”
Environment and Climate Change Canada says the company was required to notify the government before importing, selling or distributing products with the substance and it failed to do so.
“This important requirement allows the government to assess potential health or environmental risks in advance,” says a news release from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
In June 2023, officers issued an environmental protection compliance order to the company outlining steps it had to take to comply with the law, but the government said the company didn’t follow the order.
The Canadian Press has reached out to Estée Lauder for comment but has not received a response.
The company has been ordered by the Ontario court of justice to notify its shareholders about the conviction. The company’s name will also be added to the government’s environmental offenders registry.
The news release says the fine will be directed to the federal government’s environmental damages fund. The fund directs money received from fines, penalties, court orders and voluntary payments toward projects to repair environmental damage or aid the environment.
Advocacy groups Environmental Defence, Ecojustice and Breast Cancer Action Quebec say in a joint statement that they are “pleased” to see the government enforcing chemical reporting rules and holding Estée Lauder to account.
“As other countries and states take quick regulatory action to phase out PFAS in products, Canada needs to catch up — or risk being left behind,” the statement reads. “We cannot allow Canada to become the dumping ground for PFAS products that are banned elsewhere.”
The groups say that, without stricter rules, Canadian products will face challenges reaching markets in countries that have stronger environmental and health standards.
They say Canada should finalize the listing of the PFAS class under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and draft regulations to get PFAS out of cosmetics, textiles and other target products.
The groups also say the government should renew funding for the chemicals management plan on a permanent basis and ensure researchers and regulatory enforcement at Environment and Climate Change Canada have “the resources needed to keep people in Canada and the environment safe.”
Estée Lauder isn’t the only company that has been fined in recent years for having perfluorononyl dimethicone in its products.
In March 2024, Groupe Marcelle Inc. was ordered by the Court of Québec to pay a $500,000 fine for marketing cosmetic products — including Lise Watier, Marcelle and Annabelle brand eye and lip pencils — containing the substance.
Environment and Climate Change Canada says those products were withdrawn from the distribution chain.