SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick, June 15, 2004 - Representatives of Irving Pulp & Paper Limited are scheduled to appear in New Brunswick provincial court in Saint John on June 17 to enter a plea for an alleged violation of Subsection 36(3) of the federal Fisheries Act.

Environment Canada alleges that the defendant deposited untreated paper mill effluent into Little River in Saint John on December 3, 2002 during a routine 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 charges are the result of an investigation by Environment Canada's Atlantic Region Enforcement Office. Environment Canada 's Enforcement staff investigate potential pollution offences under the “Canadian Environmental Protection Act”, 1999 (CEPA 99) and the federal Fisheries Act. They help ensure that companies, government employees, and the general public comply with legislation and regulations that protect Atlantic Canada's environment.

For more information on Environment Canada's Atlantic Region programs, please visit the Green Lane at: http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/index_e.html

For more information, please contact:

Dave Aggett, Office of Enforcement
Environment Canada , Atlantic Region
(902) 483-5618