Another significant penalty has been ordered in relation to an offence under the Fisheries Act.
Earlier this month, a Nova Scotia pulp and paper company was
ordered by a provincial court to pay $225,000 in relation to a pipeline break
that released 47 million litres of untreated effluent into the
environment. The spill occurred in an area leading to the East
River/ Pictou Harbour.
The effluent was found to be deleterious to fish. Under
subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act, it is an offence to
deposit or allow the deposit of a deleterious substance in water
frequented by fish.
Although the incident occurred nearly 2 years ago, in June 2014,
and the company was sentenced back in March, the Court only this
month made its determination as to how the fine would be allocated.
It ordered the funds to be distributed in equal part to two
environmental groups and a first nation to undertake fish and fish
habitat projects in the area.
