At the Alberta Court of Justice, Mercer Peace River Pulp Ltd. was ordered to pay a $1 million fine after pleading guilty under the Fisheries Act.
On 14 April 2021, Mercer Peace River discharged 30,868,000 litres of acutely lethal effluent into the Peace River, violating the Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations and subsection 36(3) of the Fisheries Act.
Effluent from a maintenance shutdown exceeded the spill pond’s capacity, bypassing controls and killing fish. The company has since increased spill pond capacity and upgraded pumping systems.
The fine will go to Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund, and the conviction adds the company to the Environmental Offenders Registry.
