News
Sask. First Nation fined for violation of federal environmental legislation

Big River, Sask. – The Big River First Nation was fined $100,000 in the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan for failing to comply with an environmental protection compliance order under regulations designed to protect soil and ground water from contamination.

An environmental protection compliance order is an order under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 that directs various measures be taken to stop or prevent a violation of the Act or its regulations, Environment and Climate Change Canada said in a news release.

The penalty, which concerns the Miami Gas Bar, a company the Big River First Nation owns and operates, will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund. 

Officers issued the environmental protection compliance order following a 2014 inspection to verify compliance with the Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. Charges were subsequently laid, and the Big River First Nation pleaded guilty to failing to comply with measures identified in the order, the release said.

The Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations aim to reduce the risk of spills and leaks of petroleum products from storage tank systems, which can contaminate soil and ground water. The Regulations apply to storage tank systems operated by a federal department, board, agency, or Crown corporation; storage tank systems providing services to federal works or undertakings that are a port authority, airport, or railway; and storage tank systems located on federal or Aboriginal lands.

The Environmental Damages Fund was created in 1995, to provide a way to direct funds received as a result of fines, court orders, and voluntary payments to projects that will benefit our natural environment.