Mackenzie Pulp Mill Corporation - conviction information for 2018-04-19
| Corporation name: | Mackenzie Pulp Mill Corporation |
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| Address: | 215-209 Carrall Street |
| City: | Vancouver |
| Province/territory: | British Columbia |
| Postal code: | V6B 2J2 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Sector or industry: | 322 - Paper manufacturing |
| Location of offense: | Mackenzie, British Columbia |
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| Case summary: |
The Mackenzie Pulp Mill is a fully bleached softwood Kraft pulp mill on the southeastern shore of Williston Reservoir, approximately 5km southwest of the Town of the Mackenzie (BC) and approximately 200 km northeast of Prince George.
On 3 days in July 2014 (July 8, 17 and 18), and 1 day in September 2014 (Sept 8), the mill released effluent to Williston Lake that failed the trout toxicity test, and was therefore found to be toxic to fish. In addition, for seven separate days between July 6 and 17, 2014, the regular BOD samples of the mill effluent were above Provincial permit limit. On 2 days in April 2015 (Apr 17 and 20) effluent was found to be toxic to fish, as the regular trout toxicity sample from the outfall to Williston Lake failed. On September 6, 2016 another toxicity event occurred.
The investigation into these incidents revealed that the mill’s treatment system had not properly treated the effluent before discharging it, due in part to improper management of the wastewater entering the treatment system. The effluent was deposited into Williston Lake, which is frequented by fish. |
| Charges: |
In January 2017, the Company was charged with
In February 2017, an additional charge under the Fisheries Act 36(3) was laid in relation to a deleterious deposit of pulp mill effluent on September 6th, 2016
April 13, 2018:
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| Enforcement notification: | Pulp Mill in British Columbia fined $900K for releasing deleterious effluent |
| Result: | Guilty Plea |
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| Date of conviction: | 2018-04-19 |
| Court level: | Provincial and Territorial Court |
| Nature of offense(s): |
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| Additional details about the nature of the offense: |
| Act | Regulations | Section(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Pollution Prevention provisions (subsection 36(3)) of the Fisheries Act | Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations |
| Date of sentencing: |
2018-04-19 |
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| Location of sentencing: | Mackenzie BC Provincial Court |
| Sentence(s): |
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| Amount of fine(s): | $900,000 |
| Sentencing details: |
On April 19, 2018 before the provincial court in Mackenzie, British Columbia, Mackenzie Pulp Mill Corporation pleaded guilty to one offence under the Fisheries Act related to the Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations (PPER) and was sentenced to pay $900,000 per one count in a fine to the Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) and along with a court order imposed stating that within four months of the date of the sentence, Mackenzie Pulp Mill Corporation is to commission an independent environmental audit of its operations and make recommendations regarding the implementation of best available technology and best practices to prevent future deleterious deposits. A report identifying these recommendations, and the actions of the Mackenzie Pulp Mill Corporation to address those recommendations, shall also be provided to Environment and Climate Change Canada within one year of the date of the sentence.
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