Toronto-based Deak Resources (TSE) has been fined $50,000 after reluctantly pleading guilty to a charge of “discharging effluent into Larder Lake that may impair the quality of the lake.”
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment (OMOE) laid the charge under the Ontario Water Resources Act after monitoring the levels of heavy metals and cyanide discharged from the company’s Kerr mill in Virginiatown, Ont. The junior company says it pleaded guilty to the charge, which covers the period from December, 1990, to September, 1991, only because it could not afford the costs of a legal battle. Deak will appeal the amount of the fine. “Due to economic reasons, we chose to plead guilty,” said President Malcolm Slack. “I’ve apologized to my employees for pleading guilty because, really, I think they should be commended for their work.”
Since late 1990, Deak has spent $1.2 million to improve the quality of effluent from the mill. This June, Deak received approval from the OMOE to process ore at a rate of 2,200 tons per day after commissioning its new treatment plant.
“The Ministry of the Environment has known what our plans have been every step of the way.”
Operating under the same regulations, former owner Kerr Addison Mines (TSE) frequently exceeded effluent standards without so much as a rap on the knuckles, says Deak.
“The ministry set a precedent by not charging the previous operators.” Two other charges laid against Deak under the Water Resources Act have been withdrawn.
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