An impactful (to human health and the environment) release of potential pollutants can be problematic to both the community affected and the company that has to face the subsequent environmental fines and penalties.
These laws/regulations often establish fines and penalties when violations occur. Below, we outline some recent enforcement actions.
$346,000 Environmental Fine
Coastal GasLink (CGL) was fined $346,000 for erosion and sediment control issues in the construction of the natural gas pipeline and for providing false information in inspection records.
CGL is constructing a 670-kilometre-long Coastal GasLink Pipeline that will transport natural gas to the approved LNG Canada facility near Kitimat. On their website, CGL provides a link to the pipeline route.
According to the CBC, “Since the construction of the pipeline through northern B.C. began in 2019, the EAO says it has issued more than $800,000 in fines, 59 warnings, and 30 orders, which includes 13 stop-work orders.”
There are more than 840,000 kilometres of transmission, gathering and distribution pipelines in Canada (Photo by Darya Jum on Unsplash).
CGL Response
CGL issued a press release regarding the fine: “The ESC (erosion and sediment control) concerns were identified during EAO (British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office) inspections in April and May 2022 and we took immediate and decisive action to address them. Shortly after these inspections and associated non-compliances, we entered into the Compliance Agreement with B.C.’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.”
“The reporting error was due to an administrative contractor record discrepancy that was provided to the EAO between October 2022 and January 2023. This was an unintentional and regrettable error, which we worked with the EAO to correct.”
$600,000 Environmental Fine
On November 6, 2023, Plastique Royal Inc. was ordered by the Court of Québec to pay a fine of $600,000. The company pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), 1999 and one count of violating the Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Concentration Limits for Automotive Refinishing Products Regulations (Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada).
In April 2019, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers carried out an inspection at Plastique Royal Inc. The company is a distributor of bodywork products located in Laval, Quebec. The inspection revealed violations relating to the sale of automotive refinishing products whose volatile organic compound concentration exceeded the maximum concentration authorized by the regulations. The officers then issued an environmental protection compliance order to the company to immediately stop the sale and marketing of the products concerned.
The company’s name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.
According to the company’s website, “Plastique Royal is a specialised warehouse distributor of automotive and industrial refinish products such as coatings, supplies, and equipment for jobbers and distributors across Canada.”
$150,000 Environmental Fine
The 2019 spill from the Algoma Steel facility in Sault Ste. Marie facility was settled recently.
The incident occurred when a power outage occurred and equipment and pumps were no longer operational. This led to raw materials including tar spilled onto the ground that flowed into a drain that connected to sewage works that linked to the main water filtration plant that discharges effluent into the St. Mary’s River (see our March 10, 2022 blog for additional background).
According to the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks, “Algoma Steel Inc. was convicted of one violation under the Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA), fined $150,000 plus a victim fine surcharge of $31,250, and given 60 days to pay.”
Pollutants discharged include cyanide, ammonia, and phenol.
Algoma Steel Responds
Laura Devoni, Algoma’s director of corporate affairs and sustainability said, “Algoma Steel was fully cooperative in the investigation. The spill occurred following a large-scale power outage, despite our immediate actions to implement critical safety and environmental protection measures. We continue to accept full responsibility for the incident and have enhanced safety mechanisms to mitigate the risk of a spill in the event of future power outages” (Source SooToday).
Perspective
Releases to the environment can affect human health and the local environment. Environmental management requires constant vigilance. While countries in the western world have fewer issues than recently industrialized countries, the risk is never zero.
Risk (consequence/time) = frequency (events/time) x magnitude (consequence/event)
Source: System Safety Engineering and Risk Assessment, Nicholas J. Bahr.
Headlines about releases and the consequences can be sensational and certainly impactful to those in the local community. That said, we have made tremendous gains in reducing both the magnitude of routine discharges as well as accidental discharges.
A robust economy and a well-designed and implemented environmental health and safety plan are paramount to limiting these releases. The best of plans have no value if they are not implemented.
If you need assistance with an environmental-related matter, contact Christopher Pare’, P.Geo. Q.P. at 519-948-7300, Ext. 114.
Dragun Corporation does not use artificial intelligence in drafting our blogs or any other material.
Alan Hahn drafted this blog. Alan holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies and completed a graduate program in Environmental Management. He has worked in environmental management for 45 years. He has written hundreds of blogs and articles. His published work includes HazMat Magazine, BizX Magazine, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, GreenStone Partners, Manure Manager Magazine, and Progressive Dairy.
Christopher Paré, P.Geo, reviewed this blog. Chris is a senior geoscientist and manager of Dragun’s Windsor, Ontario, office. Chris has more than 30 years of experience on projects ranging from environmental site assessments (Phase One/Two ESA), excess soils, remedial investigations, soil and groundwater remediation, Permits to Take Water, Records of Site Conditions, vapour intrusion, and site decommissioning. Chris is a frequent speaker, author, and expert witness. See Chris’ bio.
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