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Environment Canada Wins 2003 Petitcodiac River Award
MONCTON, January 20, 2004 – Environment
Canada’s Office of Enforcement for the Atlantic Region,
located in Halifax, has won the 2003 Petitcodiac River Award,
an honor presented yearly by the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper to recognize
individuals or groups that have made a significant contribution
to the protection of the Petitcodiac River ecosystem.
Environment Canada’s Office of
Enforcement was selected by the Riverkeeper as the recipient of
the award this year for its implication in resolving two longstanding
environmental problems in the Petitcodiac River ecosystem: leachate
discharging from the former Moncton landfill into Jonathan Creek
(estimated at between 100,000 and 300,000 litres a day) and textile
mill effluent discharging into Humphreys Brook (estimated at millions
of litres a year).
The Office of Enforcement first got involved
with the Petitcodiac River in November 2000 when it received a
complaint from the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper regarding the discharge
of toxic leachate into Jonathan Creek. The agency carried out
an investigation into the matter and laid charges against the
City of Moncton and GEMTEC in February 2002 for an alleged violation
of the Fisheries Act. The City plead guilty to these charges in
September 2003, agreed to a clean up plan worth $700,000 and paid
fines of $35,000 to settle the case. GEMTEC is fighting these
charges in court (appeal into the case to be heard this winter
by the NB Court of Queen’s Bench).
Environment Canada’s Office of
Enforcement took on a second case in August 2002, following another
complaint from the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper in relation to the
discharge of toxic textile mill effluent into Humphreys Brook.
Charges were laid in September 2003 against a Moncton company,
Newco Construction Ltd., relating to these discharges, and the
owner of the mill Tandem Fabrics Ltd. as well as the City of Moncton
were ordered to cease the discharges and direct the effluent to
the Greater Moncton Sewerage Treatment Plant.
In announcing the award, Petitcodiac
Riverkeeper Daniel LeBlanc indicated that the Office of Enforcement
had made a significant contribution to the protection of the Petitcodiac
River ecosystem in 2003. “Environment Canada’s implication
was instrumental in resolving these longstanding pollution problems
in our community, and because of their actions Jonathan Creek
and Humphreys Brook will begin recovering after many years of
abuse”, said LeBlanc.
“We also want to recognize the
fact that their actions were precedent setting in the field of
environmental law enforcement in New Brunswick. The staff at the
Halifax Office of Enforcement who took part in these cases deserve
credit for their dedication in enforcing Canada’s environmental
laws and protecting our ecosystems”, concluded LeBlanc.
This is the second year that the Riverkeeper
presents such an award (L’École Amirault in Dieppe
won the award last year). In a few days, the organisation will
make public its second annual list of the year’s 10 worst
pollution sources of the Petitcodiac River system in 2003.
INFORMATION
Daniel LeBlanc, Petitcodiac Riverkeeper,
Tel. (506) 388-5337 / www.petitcodiac.org
David Aggett, Office of Enforcement,
Environment Canada, Tel. (902) 426-1925
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