Accessibility and Access Keys [0]
OTTAWA – The City of Ottawa has been slapped with two provincial Water Resources Act charges for a 15-day sewage spill into the Ottawa River, and if convicted, the fines could be heavy.
After a two-month investigation into the August 2006 spill, Ontario environment ministry laid the charges Thursday.
The city is accused of causing or permitting the discharge of material that could affect water quality, namely sewage, into the Ottawa River and failing to report the spill to the ministry.
If convicted, the city faces minimum fines of $25,000 and maximum fines of $6 million for each day the offences occurred. The exact amount would be determined by a justice of the peace, if a conviction is registered.
In a note to city council, the municipality’s head lawyer, Rick O’Connor, said city representatives will contact the Crown to obtain disclosure of the case as against the city as soon as possible. In the note, Mr. O’Connor also addresses concerns about possible fines and gives recent examples of municipalities being fined less than $200,000 for convictions on similar charges.
The city’s first court appearance on the charges is Sept. 11.
(C) Ottawa Citizen