Hamilton contractor fined $175,000 for Lake Ontario pollution
A Hamilton contractor will pay a fine of $175,000 for its role in a 2018 incident that led to the release of sediment-contaminated water into Lake Ontario.
The Government of Canada announced on January 31 that it had reached an alternative measures agreement with industrial contractors The Barclay Construction Group Inc.
Under the terms of the court-recommended agreement, the company agreed to pay a fine to the federal Environmental Damages Fund, and to host an open house and industry conference in which it promote the effective implementation of environmental management systems.
The company also agreed to develop and finalize a standard operating procedure on spill containment and cleanup, and train all their field employees on this procedure.
The agreement was created as an alternative to the prosecution of charges that had been laid by Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers under the Fisheries Act. Alternative measures agreements aim to promoting a sense of responsibility in the offender and an acknowledgment of the harm done.
The charges have since been stayed.
The incident occurred in June of 2018 when enforcement officers from Environment and Climate Change Canada were participating in a marine training exercise at Pier 12 in Hamilton Harbour.
During the exercise, they noticed that a pump that was removing water from an excavation site, and depositing the sediment-contaminated water into Lake Ontario.
After an investigation, officers determined that The Barclay Construction Group Inc. was responsible for the ongoing work at Pier 12.
Lab tests later confirmed that the contaminated water contained substances that were harmful to fish. Lake Ontario is home to multiple species of salmon and trout, as well as the Walleye and the Smallmouth Bass.
Depositing or permitting the deposit of a harmful substance in water frequented by fish, or in any place where the substance may enter any such water, is a violation of the Fisheries Act.