City of North Battleford Charged Under Fisheries Act for Sewage Spills

REGINA, Saskatchewan, April 29, 2004 - The City of North Battleford has been charged with four violations of the federal Fisheries Act, following an Environment Canada investigation into a series of sewage spills that occurred at the North Battleford Waste Water Treatment Plant in 2003.

Three charges result from sewage spills that are alleged to have occurred on January 16, February 14 and June 14, 2003. A fourth charge stems from the results of effluent samples obtained during a July 29, 2003 search and seizure at the Treatment Plant. The samples were found to be deleterious to fish.

All four charges were laid under subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act, which protects waters from the deposit of any substance that is deleterious or harmful to fish and aquatic life.

First offences under subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act are punishable on summary conviction by a fine of up to $300,000, and for subsequent offences, a fine of up to $300,000 or six months imprisonment, or both.

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