Ontario-based business pays $300K to the Environmental Damages Fund as part of an alternative measures agreement related to a hydrocarbon spill

November 18, 2021 – Kitchener, Ontario

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s enforcement officers strive to ensure that individuals and companies comply with Canadian environmental laws to help support a safe and clean environment.

On June 24, 2021, Drewlo Holdings Inc. entered into an alternative measures agreement with the Director of Public Prosecutions acting under and on behalf of the Attorney General of Canada, in response to Environment and Climate Change Canada laying a charge under the Fisheries Act. As part of the agreement, the company agreed to pay $300,000 to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund. In addition, Drewlo Holdings Inc. also agreed to engage a qualified environmental consultant to review the company’s current practices, evaluate the company’s existing compliance with regulations and develop a training program for employees in leadership positions. The charge against the company was dismissed on November 10, 2021, after it was confirmed that all measures outlined in the alternative measures agreement were completed.

In May 2017, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s enforcement officers responded to a report from a member of the public of an oily substance floating on the surface of Schneider Creek, which is a fish-bearing tributary of the Grand River.

After an investigation, officers determined that the substance had come from demolition activities at a property that Drewlo Holdings Inc. was developing in Kitchener, Ontario. Environment and Climate Change Canada laboratory results revealed that the oily substance contained hydrocarbons that are deleterious to fish. Depositing or permitting the deposit of a deleterious substance in water frequented by fish, or in any place where the substance may enter any such water, is a violation of the Fisheries Act.

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