Paper Company Penalized $200,000 for Releasing Effluent

A paper company released 3,500,000 litres of effluent into the Malaspina Strait. Another release of 100,000 litres occurred a few weeks later. An investigation determined that the first release was due to a power loss and the second was due, in part, to a broken check valve. In addition, the company failed to collect samples from a deposit that contained deleterious substances above limits authorized under the Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations. The company pleaded guilty to violating the Fisheries Act. The court fined it $15,000 and ordered it to pay $185,000 to the Environmental Damages Fund [Catalyst Paper, Govt. News Release, Dec. 18, 2015].