Irving Pulp and Paper fined $3.5 million

Irving Pulp and Paper Ltd. has been hit with one of largest penalties ever imposed in Canada for an environmental violation.

The company, based in Saint John, N.B., was fined $3.5 million Monday for dumping improperly treated effluent into the Saint John River over a twoyear period.

The firm has also been added to the Environmental Offenders Registry, which includes information on convictions of corporations under federal environmental laws, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

On Oct. 9, the company pleaded guilty in Saint John provincial court to three charges under the pollution prevention provisions of the federal Fisheries Act.

“The charges stem from several incidents that occurred between June 2014 and August 2016, when improperly treated and deleterious effluent was released ... into the Saint John River,” the federal department said in a statement.

In a plea deal struck with the Crown, the company admitted its mill near the Reversing Falls tourist attraction in Saint John failed to meet standards under the federal Fisheries Act.

The company failed a test that requires 50 per cent or more of tested rainbow trout to survive 96 hours in 100 per cent effluent. However, the firm said the Crown and federal authorities acknowledged the river was not harmed by the discharges, and no fish were killed.