March 29, 2005

Province pushing ahead

Industrial water polluters could face tough new law

TORONTO

Legislation that would fine industrial water polluters in Ontario up to $100,000 a day will be pushed forward this spring, Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky said last week.

Leona Dombrowsky

While she wouldn’t commit to a firm timetable, Dombrowsky said she expected to see “some movement’’ during the spring session of the legislature.

“It is a priority for this government,’’ she said. “I do look forward to having this come to debate in the next session.’’

Dombrowsky denied the government has been dragging its heels on the legislation, which was introduced with much fanfare in October.

Since then, little has happened.

“We’ve had a very full legislative agenda,’’ she said.

Under Bill 133, about 140 of the province’s largest companies would face administrative fines of up to $100,000 a day after a spill.

The fines would be levied by a Ministry of the Environment official before any charges are laid or convictions obtained.

The idea is to ensure polluters pay to clean up the mess they cause, regardless of whether the spill was accidental or not.

Charges could still be laid and appropriate penalties levied on conviction where warranted.

New Democrat environment critic Marilyn Churley said she believes the government has no intention of passing the bill.

She said large corporations are unhappy with the proposed legislation and have been putting intense pressure on the government to scrap it.

“This bill ain’t going nowhere,’’ said Churley, who offered to eat her hat if she were proven wrong.

“Industry is lobbying everyone like crazy (and) they’re going to cave in to industry on this.’’

Dombrowsky’s comments came after new government data showed industrial water pollution in Ontario remains a chronic problem.

There were 102 illegal spills in 2003 of substances such as ammonia, arsenic and carcinogenic solvents. More than five-million litres of toxic materials were illegally discharged, endangering wildlife and drinking-water sources.

In all, more than 2,000 violations of water-pollution laws were registered in 2002-2003, more than one-thousand of them in 2003.

Environmental groups, such as the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, say Bill 133 must be implemented to give the government more tools to crack down on chronic offenders.

The Canadian Press

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