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VANCOUVER – A B.C. environmental group has filed a complaint against the federal government for failing to protect the Fraser River salmon fishery from pollution.
Salmon stocks in the river have collapsed last year, and the federal government announced a public inquiry that is now getting underway.
The complaint filed by Fraser Riverkeeper says a wastewater treatment plant has leaked toxic sewage into the mouth of the river at least 11 times since 2007 but the government has done nothing.
Riverkeeper spokesman Doug Chapman says the treatment plant’s discharge might help explain why salmon stocks have dwindled in recent years.
The complaint filed with the North American Commission for Environmental Co-operation is backed by a number of organizations, including the David Suzuki Foundation.
The commission was created in 1994 with the North American Free Trade Agreement and promotes the enforcement of environmental law for Canada, the United States and Mexico.