P.E.I. cattle farm fined $50k for 2020 fish kill
CBC
The operators of the farm responsible for a fish kill in Prince Edward Island in 2020 have pleaded guilty to an offence under the Fisheries Act and have been fined $50,000.
Nobra Holsteins in Irishtown was before Judge Nancy Orr in provincial court Wednesday.
Court documents show the farm was trying out new equipment to spread cattle manure from their holding lagoons onto fields in June 2020 when a hose disconnected and for three hours, liquid manure flowed into a nearby stream.
The spill killed more than 600 brook trout in a waterway leading to Cousins Pond.
Wednesday, court heard those fish died of ammonia toxicity from exposure to liquid manure.
An agreed statement of facts said Nobra Holsteins had hoped the new equipment would let them take just two weeks to do a job that normally takes two months, but the farm put the new system into practice without testing it.
It did not run pressure trials or inspect new pumps before using them, nor did the farm get training from the company that had provided the equipment. It also didn't apply for the provincial permit it needed to run a long hose through an Irishtown Road culvert.
The liquid manure spilled at a rate of up to 340,000 litres an hour. It was first noticed by a neighbour and it was several hours before farm operators could put up silt fences and dams to stop it.
The spill not only killed fish, it also led to a ban on swimming in Cousins Pond that lasted all that summer, and prevented shellfish harvesting in the area until the end of September.
The farm was charged with and pleaded guilty Wednesday to "unlawfully depositing, or permitting the deposit of, a deleterious substance in water frequented by fish" under the Fisheries Act.
Peter Lauwerijssen, a shareholder of the company, was in court but would not agree to an interview.
The Crown and defence offered a joint recommendation on sentencing including the fine of $50,000, to be paid over two years. The company must also develop and implement a manure spill response and prevention plan by May 1.
Orr accepted that submission, and noted the company immediately took responsibility for what happened.
The City of Charlottetown is attempting to mend its relationship with Elections P.E.I.
The owner of a Hamilton restaurant says he "can't be more thankful" to the community for the response he received after an incident that police say they are investigating as a hate crime.
It was Windsor's Ward 10 councillor who gave his constituents the "Please Slow Down" sign sitting on the law outside the home where a woman died this week after a driver crashed through the building. Now, Coun. Jim Morrison says he's going to look into new traffic calming measures for the area.
When new immigrants arrive in Calgary without strong English, they often look for clearing jobs or warehouse work. But with unemployment rates among newcomers soaring, even these entry-level jobs are in short supply.
Laura Petit moved into her current rental in Thunder Bay, Ont., because she wanted to live somewhere quiet and accessible while recovering from open-heart surgery.
Before tiny French bulldog Clementine was brought to the Toronto Humane Society, she was found abandoned and bleeding inside a chip box in a park.
Canada's premiers are meeting virtually Wednesday with the prime minister to discuss the threat of U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he hopes to talk about the country's approach to negotiations.
A man from Pelly Crossing, Yukon, wants the Whitehorse General Hospital to do better when discharging rural patients who arrive by medevac.
A prominent Canadian novelist is speaking out after a local high school teacher was ordered to stop teaching one of his award-winning novels in class because of its use of the N-word.
A 29-year-old Canadian woman is facing charges in New Zealand after customs authorities say she was caught with 10.2 kilograms of methamphetamine inside her carry-on baggage at an Auckland airport, with the contraband wrapped as if it belonged under a Christmas tree.
A day after a judicial recount confirmed the loss of his seat and two weeks after his party was nearly wiped out in the provincial election, Liberal Leader Zach Churchill has stepped down from the helm of the party.