Norellco Contractors Ltd. - conviction information for 2014-11-06
| Corporation name: | Norellco Contractors Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Address: | |
| City: | Calgary |
| Province/territory: | Alberta |
| Country: | Canada |
| Sector or industry: |
| Location of offense: | Mission Ave and Perron Street, St. Albert, Alberta |
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| Case summary: | Not available |
| Charges: |
Not Available
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| Enforcement notification: | Norellco: $185,000 penalty for releasing chlorinated water into the Sturgeon River |
| Result: | Guilty Plea |
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| Date of conviction: | 2014-11-06 |
| Court level: | Provincial and Territorial Court |
| Nature of offense(s): |
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| Additional details about the nature of the offense: |
On June 26, 2012, Environment Canada received notification that a contractor performing work in St. Albert had broken a high pressure water main. As a result of this break, approximately 18,000 litres of chlorinated water was discharged into local sewer drains. Those drains lead to the Sturgeon River, which is fish-bearing. Environment Canada enforcement officers subsequently opened an investigation into the incident. On July 2, 2012, the department was notified of a second break by Norellco Contractors Ltd. to the same water main at a point only meters from the location of the first break. An estimated 16,000 litres of chlorinated water was discharged into the river during this second event. Officers determined that the company failed to follow guidelines set out in the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Code by using a backhoe within one meter of the pipeline. Subsequent sample analyses confirmed that the chlorinated water discharged during the second release was deleterious to fish. |
| Act | Regulations | Section(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Pollution Prevention provisions (subsection 36(3)) of the Fisheries Act | 36(3) |
| Date of sentencing: |
2014-11-06 |
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| Location of sentencing: | Provincial Court of Alberta, Judicial District of St. Albert |
| Sentence(s): |
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| Amount of fine(s): | $1,850,000 |
| Sentencing details: |
On November 6, 2014, before the Alberta Provincial Court, Norellco Contractors Ltd., pleaded guilty to a charge of an offence under the Fisheries Act for causing two releases of chlorinated water as a result of a broken high pressure water main. The deleterious substance entered a sewer drain that led to the Sturgeon River. An estimated 18,000 litres were released during the first event and another 16,000 litres was also discharged a few weeks later, during a second event that occurred only meters from the location of the first break. Norellco Contractors was sentenced to a fine of $5,000 and an additional amount of $180,000 to be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund. The Court also ordered the company to participate in the 2015 Northern Construction Safety Officers Conference in Edmonton, and set up an information booth to inform attendees about the case, the impact of chlorinated water and sediments on fish-bearing waters and how preventative measures can avoid future incidents.
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