Department of National Defence ordered to pay $100,000 for contravening Fisheries Act

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Department of National Defence ordered to pay $100,000 for contravening Fisheries Act, following 2013 fuel spill in Halifax Harbour

Halifax, Nova Scotia - April 20, 2016 - Environment and Climate Change Canada  

On April 11, the Department of National Defence (DND) was sentenced to pay a penalty of $100,000 in Halifax Provincial Court after pleading guilty to violating the Fisheries Act.

The charge stems from a May 8, 2013, incident where HMCS St. John’s spilled approximately 9000 L of diesel fuel into Halifax Harbour while at anchor. This led to several reports of a large sheen in the harbour and a strong smell of diesel fuel in the surrounding area.

DND representatives reported the diesel fuel spill on the morning of May 8, 2013, and participated in efforts to contain and recover the spill over the next several days. On January 30, 2015, Environment and Climate Change Canada charged DND for an alleged violation of the Fisheries Act.

Of the $100,000 penalty, $98,000 will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund.

The Environmental Damages Fund is administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The fund was created in 1995 to provide a way to direct funds received as a result of fines, court orders and voluntary payments to priority projects that benefit our environment.

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