Environmental Penalties On June 9, 2005, the Ontario Legislature passed the Environmental Enforcement
Statute Law Amendment Act (Bill 133). This legislation amends the Environmental
Protection Act and the Ontario Water Resources Act and introduces environmental
penalties. The legislation will give the Ministry of the Environment the
authority to impose environmental penalties of up to $100,000 a day for
facilities responsible for unlawful spills and emissions. Unlike fines,
which are handed down by the courts, these penalties would be assessed
by Ministry of the Environment directors within a few days of a spill.
The new system would encourage companies to make greater efforts to prevent
spills and provide additional incentives to clean them up quickly.
Environmental penalties will apply to those facilities that are part
of the nine industrial sectors regulated by the Municipal-Industrial Strategy
for Abatement (MISA) regulations.
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