Saskatchewan gas station to pay $27,000 for environmental violations

March 6, 2015 - Duck Lake, Saskatchewan

A numbered company, 101195638 Saskatchewan Ltd., operating as Blackhawk’s Gas, located on the Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation Reserve, pleaded guilty on February 18, 2015, in Saskatchewan Provincial Court and was ordered to pay $25,000 for failing to comply with an order given by an enforcement officer. The company was fined an additional $2,000 for not having a compliant emergency plan and for failing to perform required inspections.

Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999), as amended by the Environmental Enforcement Act, this company received a mandatory minimum fine of $25,000. The mandatory minimum penalty is aimed at promoting compliance with federal environmental legislation. These fines will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund. In addition, the court ordered the company to perform an environmental audit, repair any deficiencies, and prepare an adequate emergency plan. As a result of the conviction, the company’s name will be added to the Environmental Offender’s Registry.

On September 9, 2013, enforcement officers from Environment Canada issued an Environmental Protection Compliance Order (EPCO) to address violations identified during an earlier inspection. The EPCO required that specific measures related to sections of the Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations under CEPA, 1999, be taken no later than November 19, 2013. A follow-up inspection revealed that most of the measures outlined in the EPCO had not been implemented.

Quick Facts

• Blackhawk’s Gas is registered as numbered company 101195638 Saskatchewan Ltd. and operates on Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation Reserve.
• EPCOs are orders that Environment Canada’s enforcement officers may issue to put an immediate stop to a CEPA 1999, violation, prevent a violation from occurring in the first place, or require action to be taken to address a violation.
• The Environmental Damages Fund, administered by Environment Canada, was created in 1995 to provide a mechanism for directing funds received as a result of fines, court orders and voluntary payments for the repair of the actual harm done to the environment.
• The Environmental Offenders Registry contains information on convictions of corporations, with regard to offences committed under certain federal environmental legislation. The Registry contains records dealing with convictions registered for offences committed since June 18, 2009, when the Environmental Enforcement Act received Royal Assent.

Associated Links

• CEPA, 1999
• Current Regulations under CEPA, 1999
• Environmental Offenders Registry
• Environmental Damages Fund
• Environment Canada has created a subscription service to help the Canadians stay current with what the Government of Canada is doing to protect our natural environment. Subscribing to Environment Canada’s Enforcement Notifications is easy, and free. Sign up today. 

Contact

Media Relations
Environment Canada
819-934-8008