Environmental Enforcement news in Canada has kicked off 2021 with a significant penalty. The events that led to the settlements below occurred a few years ago, but the settlements happened in 2021.
$675,000 Settlement
Environment and Climate Change Canada reports, “On January 21, 2021, the Compagnie d’Arrimage de Québec Ltée pleaded guilty in the Court of Quebec in the District of Québec to one count of contravening the Fisheries Act. The company was fined $100,000. In addition to the fine, the Court ordered the company to pay an amount of $575,000. These amounts will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund. As a result of this conviction, the company’s name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.”
The Environmental Offenders Registry contains information on convictions of corporations obtained under certain federal environmental laws.
According to the news release, the incident occurred on December 10, 2017. The Compagnie d’Arrimage de Québec Ltée, while unloading a ship at the Port of Québec, failed to take all necessary measures to prevent the discharge of an estimated 500 kilograms of fertilizer into the St. Lawrence River. This was a violation of the Fisheries Act.
Environmental enforcement news started with a bang (Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay).
Ontario Environmental Enforcement
On the provincial level, a much smaller fine was handed out to a Greenhouse in the Windsor, Ontario area.
The Ontario Government stated that the conviction relates to failing to comply with a ministry approval condition by failing to ensure that the four-month rolling average effluent limits were not exceeded.
The greenhouse, Golden Acre Farms, was convicted of one violation under the Environmental Protection Act and was fined $25,000 plus a victim fine surcharge of $6,250 with 90 days to pay the fine. The conviction occurred on January 15, 2021.
The announcement also mentions that discharges from the Greenhouse go into the Fulmer Drain and ultimately into Lake Erie. For the past several years, Lake Erie has experienced problems with excess nutrients leading to, in some cases, Harmful Algal Blooms.
The International Joint Commission has spent a lot of time and energy studying the complex topic including the report, “A Balanced Diet for Lake Erie.”
Dragun has been involved in several sites to help evaluate the sources of nitrates. You can view a webinar we conducted a few years ago, Nitrates in Groundwater: Identifying the Source Using Advanced Methods.
Do you need help with an environmental issue? If you would like to have a confidential discussion about your specific issue, feel free to contact me at 519-948-7300 Ext. 114.