$80,000 fine for Vancouver mining company for Fisheries Act violations
November 9, 2016 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Canadians value clean water and a sustainable environment. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC’s) enforcement officers work tirelessly to protect our environment through the enforcement of our federal environmental laws.
On October 31, 2016, CaNickel Mining Limited pleaded guilty, in the Provincial Court of Manitoba, to having committed two offences under the Fisheries Act in violation of the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations. The company pleaded guilty to a charge of depositing mine effluent containing radium-226 in excess of authorized limits into water frequented by fish, and another charge of depositing effluent containing nickel in excess of authorized limits into water frequented by fish, in 2014.
The company was fined $80,000, which will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund (EDF).
An investigation by ECCC led to charges that, in 2014, CaNickel Mining Limited deposited effluent, which contained radium-226 and nickel in excess of authorized limits, from Bucko Lake Mine into Bucko Lake.
As a result of this conviction, the company’s name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.
Quick facts
- ECCC is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act.
- The EDF, administered by ECCC, was created in 1995 to provide a mechanism for directing funds received as a result of fines, court orders, and voluntary payments to priority projects that will benefit our environment.
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