Sylvain Longpré, one of the pioneers in Quebec in the field of electronic cigarettes, files a $ 27,8 million lawsuit against the Attorney General of Canada, Health Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for the damage he suffered as a result of searches and charges against him and his businesses in 2014.
MANY DAMAGES, THE PRESIDENT CLAIMS 28 MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
This civil lawsuit is the most important in Quebec since the arrival on the market of electronic cigarettes and its derivative products. It was filed in Superior Court in Montreal, on June 22, by Sylvain Longpré and the two companies he chairs, Vaporium and Vaperz Canada Inc.
Since 2014, Vaporium and Sylvain Longpré have faced four criminal charges under the Customs Act. They are accused of providing false or misleading information when importing liquid nicotine into Canada through the East Hereford border crossing. Sylvain Longpré is also accused of having made misleading statements and attempted to smuggle liquid nicotine into Canada through the Stanstead border crossing. The amount involved is estimated at around 80 liters of liquid nicotine.
The case is due to return to court on July 17 to set a trial date. The Vaporium case is experiencing delays in court due to the fact that there is no precedent for charges relating to the importation of liquid nicotine into Canada.
Since the search and his appearance in court, Sylvain Longpré said to have suffered damages valued at more than 27 million dollars.
« All this story surrounding the searches caused a lot of damage to me and my companies, Sylvain Longpré said during a telephone interview with La Tribune on Friday. I tried to stay in business until 2016, but with all the material that was seized from me and the impact that the searches had on my reputation vis-à-vis my clients, I had to to cease my operations in April 2016. »
Mr. Longpré indicates that the amount of the lawsuit of $ 27,8 million is based on the progression of its turnover since the founding of his company. Founded in 2009, Vaporium was the first Quebec company to sell electronic cigarettes.
At the time of the CBSA's seizures, Vaporium had three stores and 25 full-time employees, including those of Vaperz Canada Inc, which operated an e-liquid production laboratory, including a chemist.
« Since the seizures of June 2014, no other electronic cigarette company has been affected or targeted by seizures, argues Mr. Longpré. On the contrary, the number of electronic cigarette shops has boomed from around twenty to nearly 200 shops in the province alone. », Illustrates the Cookshire-Eaton businessman who now works as a truck driver to support himself.
Electronic cigarettes, including liquid nicotine, are covered by the Food and Drugs Act and therefore must be approved by Health Canada before being imported, advertised or sold in Canada. Importing them into the country, just like advertising or selling, is illegal.
Source : Lapresse.ca/
