CALGARY, April 25, 2007
– Leddy Exploration Ltd. (Leddy) of Calgary,
Alberta, was sentenced in Alberta Provincial
Court to a fine of $2,500 and a contribution
of $40,000 to the Environmental Damages
Fund, after pleading guilty to one count
of violating subsection 36(3) of the federal
Fisheries Act, which protects fish-bearing
waters from the deposit of any substance
that is harmful to fish and aquatic life.
In May 2004, Leddy released crude oil from
a pipeline into Poplar Creek, near Winfield,
Alberta. Crude oil is considered a deleterious
substance as defined by the Fisheries Act.
Charges were laid in May 2005 after an investigation
by Environment Canada.
The Environmental Damages Fund is administered
by Environment Canada and is used to help
restore ecosystems. The monies contributed
by Leddy to the Fund will be used to establish
a trout lake in the area where the release
occurred. As part of a creative sentencing
process, Leddy will make a presentation
at a Western Canada Spill Services Oil Spill
Co-op exercise about the events that led
to the release and suggestions to prevent
similar occurrences in the future.
First offences under subsection 36(3) of
the Fisheries Act are punishable on summary
conviction by a fine of up to $300,000,
and for subsequent offences, a fine of up
to $300,000 or six months imprisonment,
or both. Indictable offences can result
in a maximum $1,000,000 fine for a first
offence, and for subsequent offences, a
maximum $1,000,000 fine or three years imprisonment,
or both.
Environment Canada's Environmental Protection
Enforcement staff investigates potential
pollution offences under the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) and the
federal Fisheries Act. They help ensure
that companies, government employees, and
the public comply with legislation and regulations
that protect Canada's environment.
Ryan Levitt
Enforcement Officer
Environmental Protection Branch
+ More
Canada’s New Government Announces Mandatory
Industrial Targets to Tackle Climate Change
and Reduce Air Pollution
TORONTO, Ontario, April 26, 2007 – The Honourable
John Baird, Minister of the Environment,
today unveiled Turning the Corner: An Action
Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gases and Air
Pollution, which will see the federal government
for the first-time ever force industry to
reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution.
Canada’s New Government will impose mandatory
targets on industry, so that greenhouse
gases come down and we achieve our goal
of an absolute reduction of 150 megatonnes
by 2020. As well, we will impose targets
on industry so that air pollution from industry
is cut in half by 2015.
“Canada needs to do a U-Turn, because we
are going in the wrong direction. Since
the Liberals promised to reduce greenhouse
gases in 1997, they have only gone up,”
said Minister Baird. “Canadians want action,
they want it now and our government is delivering.
We are serving notice that beginning today,
industry will need to make real reductions.”
Industry produces about half of Canada’s
greenhouse gas and air pollution. The Government
is setting targets that begin immediately
for reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions
and air pollution.
These industrial targets, combined with
the other actions announced to date to tackle
climate change, will turn things around.
Under the previous government, greenhouse
gas emissions went up year after year. Canada’s
New Government’s Turning the Corner Plan,
by contrast, will cut 150 megatonnes by
2020.
“In as little as three years, greenhouse
gases could be going down, instead of up,”
said Minister Baird. “After years of inaction,
Canada now has one of the most aggressive
plans to tackle greenhouse gases and air
pollution in the world.”
Companies will be able to choose the most
cost-effective way to meet their targets
from a range of options: in-house reductions,
contributions to a capped technology fund,
domestic emissions trading and offsets and
access to the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development
Mechanism. Companies that have already reduced
their greenhouse gas emissions prior to
2006 will be rewarded with a limited one-time
credit for early action.
These tough industrial regulations will
have real, tangible health and environmental
benefits for Canadians, and these, in turn,
will have many positive economic effects.
The Government’s Turning the Corner Plan
will promote investment in technology and
innovation in Canada, yielding long-term
economic benefits from enhanced productivity,
improved energy efficiency, greater competitiveness,
more opportunity to sell Canadian environmental
products and know-how abroad, and more jobs
for Canadians.
In addition to measures to reduce air emissions
from industry, this Government is committed
to addressing emissions from transportation
by regulating for the first time the fuel
efficiency of cars and light duty trucks,
beginning with the 2011 model year. We will
also strengthen energy efficiency standards
for a number of energy-using products, including
light bulbs, and for the first time ever,
the Government has recognized the urgent
need to take action to improve indoor air
quality and committed to implement measures
to do so.
For more information on what the Government
is doing to tackle climate change and reduce
air pollution, visit www.ecoaction.gc.ca
or call 1 800 O-Canada (1 800 622-6232,
or TTY 1-800-926-9105).
Eric Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
