Terrace Bay Pulp Mill faces $250,000 fine for seven offences
AV Terrace Bay, Inc.was pleaded guilty to seven environmental offences. The mill now faces a fine of $250,000 and a victim fine surcharge of $62,500.
TORONTO (Scrap Monster): AV Terrace Bay, Inc. , a division of the Aditya Birla Group of companies has been pleaded guilty to seven offences for violating the Environment Protection Act (EPA). The Terrace Bay mill has been imposed a fine of $250,000 for the said environmental offences.
The mill converts wood into pulp. According to Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the mill was observed to have no proper mechanisms to treat the runoff resulting from the kraft pulping process. The Investigations and Enforcement Branch authorities also noted that the runoff caused pollution to Blackbird Creek and Lake Superior. The investigation was carried out following complaints of several such discharges from the mill between July and December in 2013.
According to the Ministry, seven offences were charged against the mill. AV Terrace Bay Inc. pleaded guilty to offences on Oct 26th. In addition to the fine of $250,000, the Ministry has also charged a victim fine surcharge amounting to $62,500. The company is given six months time period to make the payments.
The original pulp mill was built in 1947. It was taken over by the Aditya Birla Group in January 2012. In October 2012, the Terrace Bay Mill renewed operations as a paper grade pulp mill. The Group has also made significant investments thereafter to convert the mill to produce superior quality dissolving grade pulp for use in the Group’s VSG plants worldwide. The mill which produces paper grade pulp consumes residual chips produced by the regional sawmills.