Québec, Quebec,
June 19, 2007 - Environment Canada announced
today that Cascades Fine Papers Group Inc.,
a division of Cascades Inc., which operates
the Breakey Fibres Division mill in Levis,
Quebec, appeared today before a Court of
Quebec judge and pleaded guilty to charges
under the Fisheries Act.
Cascades Fine Papers Group Inc. pleaded
guilty to three counts of indictment for
having, in December 2003, January and February
2004, and again in February 2005, deposited
a deleterious substance (final effluent
from the water treatment system) into the
Chaudière River, in violation of
subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act.
The Court of Quebec ordered Cascades Fine
Papers Group Inc. to pay a penalty of $125,000.00--a
$45,000.00 fine and an $80,000.00 payment
to the Environmental Damages Fund, administered
by Environment Canada. The judge based the
decision on a submission submitted jointly
by the prosecution and the defence. The
payment to the Environmental Damages Fund
will be used to promote restoration projects.
Local community and ecology groups will
have an opportunity to submit project proposals
for the funds. The Environmental Damages
Fund helps ensure that polluters take responsibility
for offences and provides courts a way of
guaranteeing that money is directly invested
to improve the quality of the environment.
The charges were laid following an investigation
by officers from Environment Canada’s Environmental
Enforcement Branch – Quebec Region. Environment
Canada investigates potential pollution
offences under the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act, 1999 and under the pollution
prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act.
The Department ensures that companies and
individuals comply with legislation that
protects Canada’s environment.
For further information about the Environmental
Law Enforcement Program of Environment Canada,
consult the Green Lane at http://www.ec.gc.ca/ele-ale/.
Isabelle Goulet
Manager, Investigations Section
Environment Canada
+ More
Windsor Resident Convicted for Unlawfully
Importing Coral
WINDSOR, Ontario,June 15, 2007 – Christopher
Donald Dunn of Windsor, Ontario was convicted
today in the Ontario Court of Justice, Provincial
Division, for unlawfully importing live
coral into Canada from the U.S without a
permit. Mr. Dunn was fined $615 and ordered
to forfeit all Stony Corals seized from
him at the Windsor border crossing.
Mr. Dunn was charged by federal wildlife
officers with offences under Canada’s endangered
species legislation, the Wild Animal and
Plant Protection and Regulation of International
and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA).
This followed his attempt to enter Canada
via the Ambassador Bridge with 38 live coral
in his vehicle. These specimens had an estimated
value of $2,500.
Thirty-two of the 38 coral were Stony Corals,
listed as an endangered species under Appendix
II of the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES). They are also protected under
WAPPRIITA and its regulations. The defendant
violated several U.S. laws and failed to
obtain the required permits prior to re-entering
Canada with the 38 coral.
Coral reefs support a lucrative tourism
industry, protect coastal areas from storms
and contribute to the economies of many
developing nations around the world. Each
year, reefs provide humans with resources
and services worth billions of dollars.
The global market for reef resources include
the aquarium, curio, and jewellery trades;
the seafood and live fish industry; and
pharmaceutical and research companies.
The illegal international trade in corals
contributes to the decline and degradation
of reefs. Human activities have put some
58 per cent of the world's coral reefs at
risk. Many have been damaged beyond recovery.
Environment Canada is the lead agency responsible
for implementing CITES on behalf of the
Government of Canada. CITES sets controls,
through a permit system, on the international
trade and movement of animal and plant species
that are endangered, or have been, or may
be, threatened due to excessive commercial
exploitation.
Gary Colgan
Director
Wildlife Enforcement Division
Environment Canada
Jack Saunders
Communications Advisor/Media Relations
Environment Canada – Ontario
