11204572 Canada Corporation ordered to pay $50,000 for violating the Fisheries Act in hydrocarbon release

TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2024 /CNW/ - Canadians value clean water and a sustainable environment. Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers enforce many laws that protect Canada's air, water, and natural environment, and take pollution incidents and threats to the environment very seriously.

On September 17, 2024, 11204572 Canada Corporation pleaded guilty in the Provincial Court of Ontario, in Toronto, to one charge of depositing a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish, in contravention of the Fisheries Act. The company was fined $50,000. The fine amount will be directed to the Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund to support projects that have a positive impact on Canada's natural environment.

On December 28, 2020, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers were notified that fuel was being released into the Taylor-Massey Creek from a property located on Crockford Boulevard, in Toronto. The officers discovered that approximately 2,000 litres of hydrocarbons were intentionally released from an underground storage tank into the adjacent Taylor-Massey Creek, during construction activities. Laboratory analysis of the samples determined that the substance released was deleterious, or harmful, to fish. The investigation also revealed that the property was owned by 11204572 Canada Corporation. 

By depositing hydrocarbons in water frequented by fish, 11204572 Canada Corporation contravened a prohibition set out in subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act.

As a result of this conviction, the company's name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry. The Registry contains information on convictions of corporations registered for offences committed under certain federal environmental laws.

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Quick facts

• Environment and Climate Change Canada administers and enforces the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act. These provisions include a prohibition against the deposit of deleterious substances into water frequented by fish, or in a place where they may enter water frequented by fish.
• The waters of Taylor-Massey Creek are frequented by fish, as defined in the Fisheries Act. The Creek is a tributary of the Don River in Toronto, Ontario, and contains species of fish including Creek Chub, White Sucker, Longnose Dace, and Blacknose Dace.
• Created in 1995, the Environmental Damages Fund is a Government of Canada program administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The Fund directs monies received from fines, penalties, court orders, and voluntary payments to projects that will repair environmental damage or benefit the environment. The Fund aims to invest in areas where the environmental damage occurred.

Associated links

• Fisheries Act (Pollution Prevention Provisions)
• Frequently Asked Questions: Fisheries Act Pollution Prevention Provisions
• Environmental Damages Fund
• Environmental Offenders Registry

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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

Contacts: Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [email protected]