R. v. Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corporation, 2016 NSPC 29 (CanLII)

This case was heard in the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia.

In January 2016, Northern Pulp Nova Scotia Corporation ("Northern Pulp") pleaded guilty to an offence under the federal Fisheries Act. In June 2014, untreated pulp and paper effluent from a pulp and paper mill in Abercrombie, Nova Scotia had escaped into nearby wetlands and eventually moved into the East River, in the territory of Pictou Landing First Nation.

After Northern Pulp was convicted, the presiding Judge had to determine the sentence that would be imposed on the company. Bearing in mind the recent conclusions of the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the environmental injuries that Pictou Landing First Nation had suffered in the past, the Judge asked the Crown to consult with Pictou Landing First Nation so that the Court could benefit from additional evidence of the impacts to the community. The Chief of Pictou Landing First Nation presented a “comprehensive statement of community impact” to the Court, and the Judge took that statement into account when determining the fees that Northern Pulp would need to pay.

View the Decision on CanLII: https://www.canlii.org/en/ns/nspc/doc/2016/2016nspc29/2016nspc29.html

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