A British Columbia company and its owner are being fined $70,000 after failing to clean up to two Hamilton properties.

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment issued a release about the fines late Thursday.

It notes that a numbered company owned by Baldev Kumar Madan, also known as Dave Maden, purchased 249 Hess Street North and 245 Catharine Street North from the City of Hamilton in 2005.

"The initial order had several parts, but it was primarily a cleanup order against the company and the owner," explained Lindsay Davidson, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

"The convictions were for failing to hire a qualified waste management company to assess and classify the waste."

In July 2010, the ministry inspected the properties and discovered environmental concerns on both.

The Hess Street property consisted of several derelict buildings, two shipping containers and 100-200 barrels filled with unknown/possibly hazardous materials.

The Catharine Street property, a former electroplating facility, showed evidence of three historic electroplating lines and baths with some material still in the electroplating baths, as well as numerous drums containing unknown materials.

On July 27, 2010 two Provincial Officer's Orders were issued to both the company and Maden, yet several items were not complied with.

On February 26, 2016, Madan was convicted on of three offences under the Environmental Protection Act and fined $25,000, plus a victim fine surcharge (VFS) of $6,250 and two suspended sentences. His company, 0558154 B.C. Ltd., was also convicted of two EPA offences and fined $45,000, plus a VFS of $11,250 and one suspended sentence.

Maden and the numbered company have been given two years to pay the fines.