May 31, 2024 – Edmundston, New Brunswick - Canadians value a safe and clean environment. Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers strive to ensure that businesses and individuals comply with laws and regulations that protect the natural environment in Canada.
On May 30, 2024, Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc. was fined $250,000 in New Brunswick Provincial Court after pleading guilty to one charge of contravening subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act by permitting the deposit of a deleterious substance, namely pulp and paper process water called groundwood white water, into the Madawaska River. The fine will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund.
On March 10, 2021, during a routine inspection at Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc. in Edmundston, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers noted that a pipeline owned and operated by the company had failed, resulting in the deposit of groundwood white water into the fish-bearing Madawaska River.
An investigation by Environment and Climate Change Canada into the cause of the pipeline failure later determined that it was due to extensive external corrosion, resulting in the release of an estimated 102,000 litres of groundwood white water into the Madawaska River for a period of approximately 24 hours. Testing of the groundwood white water samples determined the substance to be deleterious or harmful to fish.
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 for offences committed under certain federal environmental laws.
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Quick facts
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Environment and Climate Change Canada is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act, which prohibit the deposit of a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish.
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The Madawaska River is home to several species of fish including Brook Trout, Yellow Perch and Atlantic Salmon.
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The groundwood white water deposited into the Madawaska River is the liquid in the pulp slurry that is left over after filtration at the paper mill. It is normally returned to the pulp mill to be reused or recycled.
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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.
