Gold Mine Penalized $350,000 for Federal and Provincial Environmental Offences

A joint investigation by federal and provincial environmental authorities determined that a gold mine had deposited effluent deleterious to fish and failed to take reasonable measures to prevent the deposit. It also failed to report the incidents in violation of the Fisheries Act. Episodes of high water levels had led to the uncontrolled flow of effluent into nearby fish’bearing water. Some effluent overflows contained levels of cyanide and metals that are harmful to fish. These incidents were caused by the mine’s failure to properly manage water levels and key treatment processes within its facilities. As a result, the mine was fined $43,750 and ordered to pay $131,250 to the Environmental Damages Fund for federal environmental offences. It was also ordered to pay an additional $175,000 for related provincial offences [Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd., Federal Govt. News Release, Feb. 25, 2016].