Saskatchewan First Nation fined for environmental violation
On October 6, 2016, the Makwa Sahgaiehcan (Loon Lake) First Nation pleaded guilty, in Saskatchewan Provincial Court, for failing to comply with an environmental...
Mining company ordered to pay for untreated acidic wash water release
On October 7, 2016, Nyrstar Myra Falls pleaded guilty, in B.C. Provincial Court, to two counts under the Fisheries Act, as well as to...
Caledon companies fined $10,000 for Environmental Protection Act violations
V3 Disposal Services Inc. and Henrietta Investments Inc. pleaded guilty to one offence each and were fined $10,000 for delivering and depositing demolition waste...
Sarnia Refinery and Chemical Plant fined $650,000 for Environmental Protection Act Violations
Imperial Oil Limited has pleaded guilty to one offence and was fined $650,000 for discharging a contaminant, coker stabilizer thermocracked gas, into the natural...
Company ordered to pay $30K in penalties for Fisheries Act violation
Vale Newfoundland and Labrador plead guilty to a Fisheries Act violation relating to a March 2013 effluent discharge.
Small Fines; Big Consequences: The hidden costs of pleading guilty
Individuals and corporations considering pleading guilty and paying a small fine instead of appealing a charge should be aware of the hidden costs of their decision.
Melting ice sheet could expose frozen Cold War-era hazardous waste and sewage
Climate change is threatening to expose hazardous waste at an abandoned camp thought to be buried forever in the Greenland Ice Sheet, new research...
Hamilton company fined for contravening PCB regulations
A Hamilton, ON company was ordered to pay $70,000 after being convicted of contravening PCB Regulations and failing to comply with an Environmental Protection Compliance Order.
Multi-stage remediation removes chlorinated solvents from former dry cleaning facility
Historical dry cleaning operations resulted in sub-surface releases of chlorinated solvents, including perchloroethylene (PCE), and its breakdown products—trichloroethylene (TCE), cis&trans-1,2-dichloroethylene (cis1,2-DCE, trans-1,2-DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC).
Saskatoon dry cleaners fined $10,000 for failed environmental inspection
Executive Cleaners and Donald Pattison of Saskatoon were ordered on July 6, 2016, in Saskatchewan Provincial Court to pay a $5,000 fine each after pleading guilty to...
Company and director fined $8,000 for Environmental Protection Act violations
2172936 Ontario Ltd. and company director, Angelo Salciccioli pleaded guilty to one offence each and were fined a total of $8,000 for using an...
Company penalized $500,000 for hydrogen sulfide releases
Canadian Natural Resources Limited has been penalized $500,000 for incidents at its Horizon facility, which occurred in 2010 and 2012
Biochar offers many environmental benefits
Biochar has many applications in helping with climate change, food security, renewable energy and waste management.
Nova Scotia pulp company fined $225,000 for effluent spill
The Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corporation has been ordered to pay $225,000 for a Fisheries Act offence that occurred in June 2014. The offence relates...
Saskatchewan First Nation fined $100,000 for environmental non-compliance
April 29, 2016 – The Kawacatoose First Nation pleaded guilty on October 20, 2015, in Saskatchewan Provincial Court for failing to comply with an environmental protection...
Department of National Defence ordered to pay $100,000 for spill
The Department of National Defence will pay a penalty of $100,000 after pleading guilty to violating the Fisheries Act.
Diverting healthcare waste from landfill is essential
Managing and controlling waste is crucial for public health, whether it is hospital infectious waste or municipal garbage.
Teck Metals Ltd. to pay $3 million penalty for polluting the Columbia River
Environment and Climate Change Canada investigated multiple incidents resulting in the discharge of approximately 125 million litres of effluent from Teck Metals into the Columbia River.
Building a better framework for Environmental Approvals in Ontario
The Modernization of Approvals Branch of the MOECC is leading the implementation of a modernized approach to environmental approvals.
Dry-cleaner fined for improper storage and disposal of PERC
Texmain Cleaners Ltd., a dry-cleaning business operating in London, Ontario, pled guilty and was fined $36,000 for the improper storage and disposal of tetrachloroethylene,...
Contaminated land: Risk assess or remediate?
Contaminated land that lies unused, could be redeveloped if a risk assessment is conducted and on-site contamination is deemed to be acceptable.
Hog farm ordered to pay $50,000 for manure release
Shooter’s Hill Livestock Inc., represented by owner Simon Goodwin, pleaded guilty on November 25, 2015 in Leduc Provincial Court and was ordered to pay a...
Paper company fined $320,000 for Fisheries Act offences
Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc. was fined $320,000 on December 18, 2015 in New Brunswick Provincial court after pleading guilty to offences under the...
Heavy metals remediation of soil and water is site-specific
Remediation of organic contaminants from soil is well advanced and there are many sustainable in situ and ex situ alternatives available.
Mount Polley short-term discharge permit approved
After public consultation, British Columbia has approved Mount Polley Mining Corporation’s application for a short-term permit to treat and then discharge water outside of...
Spill response and worker safety demand a disciplined approach
Since the 1980s, there have been big gains in the knowledge of chemicals and how they impact public health and the environment. But that...
Orange peel waste helps clean up mercury pollution
An inexpensive, non-toxic polymer that draws mercury pollution out of water and soil has been developed from orange peels and industrial byproducts.
Concrete cloth chosen for EPA Superfund remediation
Easily installed concrete cloth was installed to address an acid rock drainage condition at the Sheldon Mine site, an EPA Superfund project.
Unseen environmental issues with trenchless technologies
Trenchless technologies allow infrastructure to be installed without the need for digging. This solves many problems, but does create new regulatory issues.
GIS technology used for abandoned mine site remediation
In 2011 and 2012, a GIS was created to assist in the restoration and remediation of 0.8 km of the Moira River shoreline, where it flows through the abandoned mine site.
Freshwater mussels increasingly included in habitat assessments
Freshwater mussels are considered “fish” under the Fisheries Act and warrant the same protection. Increasingly they are used as indicators of stream health.
Testimony in environmental claims – Participant vs litigation experts
What constitutes an “expert” witness and to whom do the expert witness provisions in the Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure apply? Do they apply to anyone offering an expert opinion?
Spill results in $375,000 penalty for Alberta company
Panther Industries (Alberta) Inc. pleaded guilty on July 28, 2015 in Alberta Provincial Court and was ordered to pay a total of $375,000 in...
Restricted re-start authorized for Mount Polley mine
Mount Polley Mine has been given a restricted go-ahead to re-start operations, nearly one year since a disastrous tailings pond breach.
Mining company ordered to pay $30,000 for offences under the Fisheries Act
The Iron Ore Company of Canada was ordered to pay $30,000 on June 15, 2015, in Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court after pleading guilty...
Kayaks prove a versatile tool in spill cleanup
Lightweight and highly maneuverable kayaks are becoming increasingly popular as vehicles to deal with spill cleanup of hazardous chemicals and petroleum products.
The evolution of environmental consulting
Over the next decade the environmental consulting industry will be transformed by advances in the biological sciences. These will be driven by the torrent of inexpensive genomic information and applications.
Property values threatened by changing contaminant levels
Sinking funds into site cleanups, if there is no reasonable return on the investment, doesn’t make good business sense, despite any environmental benefits.
An alternative to water-covered mine tailings areas
Evapotranspiration cover/engineered bioreactor systems, provides an economic alternative to water-covered tailings management areas.
Handling excess soil: How we got to where we are and where things are...
Properly handling and managing the movement of excess construction soils or “clean” dirt has been a concern over the past 20-25 years in Ontario....
Latest Articles
New USask studies examine chemical impact on fish from stormwater runoff
Virtually no fish toxicity information exists in Canada on the effects of chemical compounds spread through stormwater runoff from rubber tires and antimicrobials used...
