Whitehorse company to pay $80,000 for diesel spill near Porcupine River
March 10, 2017 - Whitehorse, Yukon - Environment and Climate Change Canada
On February 23, 2017, Air North Charter and Training Ltd. (Air North) and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada entered into an alternative measures agreement, after a charge was laid by Environment and Climate Change Canada, under the Fisheries Act.
Following an investigation by Environment and Climate Change Canada’s enforcement officers, Air North was charged with a violation of the Fisheries Act related to the deposit of a substance harmful to fish, in an area where it could have entered fish-bearing waters. The spill took place on September 23, 2014.
As part of the agreement, Air North will:
- Pay a total penalty of $80,000, which will be used to remediate or improve the environment in the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation’s territory, with the balance donated to the Environmental Damages Fund, for environmental restoration, improvement, or education in the Yukon.
- Publicly acknowledge and accept full responsibility for the fuel spill.
- Improve their training, practices, and procedures for fuel delivery, including spill responses, to meet the industry standard, at a minimum.
- Carry out clean up and remediation of the spill site and confirm that it has been completed to the satisfaction of Environment Yukon.
Quick facts
- An alternative measures agreement is an alternative to prosecution under the Criminal Code. Its purpose is to promote a sense of responsibility in the offender and an acknowledgment of the harm done, while at the same time meet the important objectives of public safety, deterrence, denunciation, rehabilitation, and reparation to victims and the community, after an accused person has been charged.
- The Environmental Damages Fund is administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada to provide a mechanism for directing funds received as a result of fines, court orders, and voluntary payments to projects that will benefit our natural environment.
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