Fisheries Act offence results in $1.25 million fine for Alberta-based fuel retailer

February 19, 2020 – Wetaskiwin, Alberta – Environment and Climate Change Canada

The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the health, safety, and environment of Canadians. Environment and Climate Change Canada enforces laws that protect Canada’s air, water, and natural environment, and we take this responsibility very seriously.

On February 18, 2020, Drever Agencies Inc. was fined $1,250,000 in Wetaskiwin Provincial Court for an offence under the Fisheries Act. The company pleaded guilty to a charge of depositing a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish. The fine will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund.

In August 2017, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers responded to a report of a solvent spill on a commercial property in Wetaskiwin. A number of dead fish were observed in an unnamed creek that flows into the Battle River. An investigation determined that approximately 1800 litres of Petrosol solvent leaked from a storage tank owned by Drever Agencies Inc. and entered the creek. Through laboratory analysis, it was confirmed that the solvent was deleterious (harmful to fish).

As a result of the 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 it 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.

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Contacts

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Environment and Climate Change Canada
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ec.media.ec@canada.ca