Mining company in British Columbia fined for Fisheries Act violations

QUESNEL, BC, Jan. 18, 2018 /CNW/ - Canadians value a safe and clean environment. Environment and Climate Change Canada's enforcement officers work hard every day to make sure individuals and companies are respecting Canadian environmental laws.

On January 12, 2018, Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd. was ordered to pay $200,000 after pleading guilty, in the Provincial Court of British Columbia, to violations under the Fisheries Act related to the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations. The penalty will be paid to the Environmental Damages Fund. 

Routine inspections conducted by Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers revealed that the company failed to complete sampling, notify authorities of having deposited effluent into fish-bearing water without authorization, and submit reports on time. The effluent was deposited into Lowhee Creek, part of the Willow River system?an important fish-bearing watershed. The Metal Mining Effluent Regulations authorize deposits of effluent provided that conditions stipulated in the regulations are respected. 

As a result of this conviction, the company's name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.

Quick Facts

• Environment and Climate Change Canada is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act, which prohibit the deposit of deleterious substances into water frequented by fish.
• Created in 1995, the Environmental Damages Fund is a Government of Canada program administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The fund follows the polluter pays principle and ensures that court-awarded penalties are used for projects with positive environmental impacts.
• The Environmental Offenders Registry contains information on convictions of corporations registered for offences committed under certain federal environmental laws.

Associated Links

• Fisheries Act
• Metal Mining Effluent Regulations
• Environmental Offenders Registry
• Environmental Damages Fund

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Twitter page

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada