Whitehorse Star, November 1, 2002

Whitehorse Star, November 1, 2002

CANADA: A Canadian territorial court has fined Placer mining subsidiary, Caley's Dream, Inc., $1,000 for a diesel fuel spill into the Yukon River, Fisheries, and Ocean. Under Canada's Fisheries Act, it is an offence to deposit a deleterious substance into fish-bearing waters. In May 2000, a member of the public notified the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) that habitat had been disturbed in the Yukon River, downstream from the confluence of Sparkling Creek. An investigation by DFO officers determined that a 9,000-litre (2,000-gallon) fuel tank, which had been left on the shoreline of the Yukon River, was overturned by ice during the spring break-up. About 6,750 litres of diesel fuel leaked out of the tank into the river and onto the shoreline. In addition to the $1,000-fine, Caley's Dream, Inc., was ordered to clean up the site; the company will have eight months to clean up under fuel-spill guidelines from Environment Canada.