TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – A Canadian subsidiary of global mining major Rio Tinto has been fined C$30 000 for unauthorised dumping of effluent into fish-bearing water.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court on Monday ordered the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) to pay a fine after pleading guilty to offences under the Fisheries Act related to the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations (MMER).
In October 2012, the company failed to notify an inspector of having deposited effluent into fish-bearing water without approval. The effluent was deposited into the Luce lake, in Labrador City.
The MMER authorised the company to discharge effluent so long as conditions stipulated in the regulation were met. In this case, IOC failed to comply with the condition imposing a limit on the concentration of total suspended solids in effluent entering water frequented by fish. The company also failed to provide a written report to an inspector within 30 days of the unauthorised release.
Of the C$30 000 penalty, C$15 000 would be paid to the Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) and C$15 000 would be paid as a fine. The EDF was administered by Environment Canada. It was created in 1995 to provide a mechanism for directing funds received as a result of fines, court orders and voluntary payments to projects that would benefit the natural environment.
As a result of this conviction, IOC's name would be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry, which contained information on convictions of corporations registered for offences committed under certain federal environmental laws. The registry contained convictions recorded for offences committed since June 18, 2009 – when the Environmental Enforcement Act received Royal Assent.