Company disposed of dredged material on four occasions in 2014
Seleine Mines, a division of K+S Windsor Salt, was fined $400,000 after pleading guilty to four counts of violating subsection 125(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.
An investigation by Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers found that the company had disposed of dredged material on four occasions outside of the disposal area authorized by the disposal at sea permit issued by the same department. The incidents happened between August 10 and 14, 2014.
As a result of this conviction, the company’s name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.
“Disposal at sea is prohibited unless a permit is issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Disposal at Sea Program. Only a short list of non-hazardous wastes can be considered for disposal. A permit’s conditions on quantities of waste, disposal sites, and special precautionary measures are designed to ensure that the disposal is the most practical and environment-friendly option,” said the federal government.
The fines will be directed to the federal government’s Environmental Damages Fund, where they will be used for environmental and conservation projects, often in the community where the offence occurred.
Created in 1995, the fund is a program administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada to ensure that court-awarded penalties are used for projects with positive environmental impacts.
Recently, the Town of Bow Island in Alberta and one of its former employees pleaded guilty to offences under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act filed against them.
