TIMMINS, ONTARIO, CANADA – JUNE 11, 2002
Falconbridge Limited was fined a total of $16,000 yesterday in the Ontario Court of Justice after pleading guilty to four counts under the Environmental Protection Act . The charges resulted from the discharge of process effluent that exceeded the daily concentration limit for certain limited parameters.
On May 26 and October 11, 1999, Falconbridge Limited reported to the ministry that its process effluent discharges exceeded the daily concentration limit for zinc. On November 3, 1999, the company also reported that both suspended solids and copper concentrations were above allowable limits.
The violations occurred at the defendant’s Kidd Metallurgical Division facility in the Township of Hoyle, Ontario. This facility consists of a concentrator, a copper smelter and refinery, a zinc plant, a cadmium plant, an indium plant and a sulphuric acid plant.
The Kidd Metallurgical Division is regulated under Ontario Regulation 560/94 “Effluent Monitoring and Effluent Limits – Metal Mining Sector” under the Environmental Protection Act. The purpose of the regulation is to monitor and control the quality of effluent discharge from metal mining plants.
For further information:
John Steele
Communications Branch (Environment)
(416) 314-6666
