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Irving Pulp and Paper to Pay Penalty of $30,000 Company Pleads Guilty to Charge Under the Fisheries Act
SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick, December 13, 2004 – Following
a successful investigation by Environment Canada’s Enforcement
Officers, Irving Pulp and Paper plead guilty today in New Brunswick provincial
court for a violation of Canada’s Fisheries Act.
Irving Pulp and Paper plead guilty to a violation that occurred on December
3, 2002 when the company deposited untreated paper mill effluent into
Little River in Saint John during a test of a back-up generator. Under
the federal Fisheries Act, it is an offence to deposit, or to permit
the deposition, of a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish.
The penalty of $30,000 includes a $2,500 fine to be paid to the court,
$22,500 to be directed to environmental research by the Biology Department
of the University of New Brunswick in Saint John and $5,000 to be paid
to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund, administered
by Environment Canada.
The Environmental Damages Fund was created in 1995 to provide courts
and companies with a way to ensure that the money from pollution fines
and settlements would be directly invested in repairing the harm done
by pollution. It helps ensure the "polluter pays" principle
is applied and that polluters take responsibility for their actions.
The money in the Fund is allocated to local organizations, and typically
they find various partners that contribute additional money and other
resources. In the period between April 1, 2003, and March 31, 2004, more
than $1.2 million was awarded to the Fund for environmental restoration
and other court directed benefits across the country.
Environment Canada investigates potential pollution offences under the
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and Canada’s Fisheries
Act. They help ensure that companies, government employees and the general
public comply with legislation and regulations that protect Canada’s
environment.
For more information contact:
York Friesen
Office of Enforcement
Environment Canada, Atlantic Region
(902) 426-7530
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news releases, media advisories, and statements, please click on
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to subscribe: http://www.ec.gc.ca/mediaroom/newsrelease/e/subscribe_e.cfm
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