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An Act to amend certain Acts that relate to the environment and to enact provisions respecting the enforcement of certain Acts that relate to the environment (S.C. 2009, c. 14)

Assented to 2009-06-18

 Subsection 288(2) of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • Marginal note:Conditions of order

    (2) If an order is made under subsection (1) and the offender contravenes or fails to comply with it, or is convicted of an offence under this Act, the prosecutor may apply to the court to revoke the discharge, convict the offender of the offence to which the discharge relates and impose any sentence that could have been imposed if the offender had been convicted at the time the order was made.

 Subsection 289(2) of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • Marginal note:Application by prosecutor

    (2) If the passing of sentence has been suspended under subsection (1) and the offender contravenes or fails to comply with an order made under section 291, or is convicted of an offence under this Act, the prosecutor may apply to the court to impose any sentence that could have been imposed if the passing of sentence had not been suspended.

 Section 290 of the Act is repealed.

  •  (1) Paragraph 291(1)(d) of the French version of the Act is replaced by the following:

    • d) mener des études de suivi des effets sur l’environnement, de la façon que le ministre indique, ou verser, selon les modalités prescrites par le tribunal, une somme d’argent destinée à permettre ces études;

  • (2) Paragraphs 291(1)(g) and (h) of the Act are replaced by the following:

    • (f.1) directing the offender to pay to Her Majesty in right of Canada an amount of money that the court considers appropriate for the purpose of promoting the conservation or protection of the environment;

    • (g) directing the offender to publish, in the manner specified by the court, the facts relating to the commission of the offence and the details of the punishment imposed, including any orders made under this subsection;

    • (h) directing the offender to notify, at the offender’s own cost and in the manner specified by the court, any person aggrieved or affected by the offender’s conduct of the facts relating to the commission of the offence and of the details of the punishment imposed, including any orders made under this subsection;

  • (3) Paragraph 291(1)(k) of the Act is replaced by the following:

    • (k) directing the offender to compensate any person, monetarily or otherwise, in whole or in part, for the cost of any remedial or preventive action taken, caused to be taken or to be taken as a result of the act or omission that constituted the offence, including costs of assessing appropriate remedial or preventive action;

  • (4) Paragraph 291(1)(m) of the Act is repealed.

  • (4.1) Paragraph 291(1)(p) of the Act is replaced by the following:

    • (p) directing the offender to pay, in the manner prescribed by the court, an amount to an educational institution including for scholarships for students enrolled in studies related to the environment;

  • (5) Paragraph 291(1)(q) of the Act is replaced by the following:

    • (q) requiring the offender to comply with any other conditions that the court considers appropriate in the circumstances for securing the offender’s good conduct and for deterring the offender and any other person from committing offences under this Act;

    • (r) requiring the offender to surrender to the Minister any permit or other authorization issued under this Act to the offender; and

    • (s) prohibiting the offender from applying for any new permit or other authorization under this Act during any period that the court considers appropriate.

  • (6) Subsections 291(2) to (4) of the Act are replaced by the following:

    • Marginal note:Publication

      (2) If an offender fails to comply with an order made under paragraph (1)(g), the Minister may, in the manner that the court directed the offender to do so, publish the facts relating to the commission of the offence and the details of the punishment imposed and recover the costs of publication from the offender.

    • Marginal note:Debt due to Her Majesty

      (3) If the court makes an order under paragraph (1)(f.1) or (k) directing an offender to pay an amount to Her Majesty in right of Canada, or if the Minister incurs publication costs under subsection (2), the amount or the costs, as the case may be, constitute a debt due to Her Majesty in right of Canada and may be recovered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

    • Marginal note:Enforcement

      (4) If the court makes an order under paragraph (1)(k) directing an offender to pay an amount to a person, other than to Her Majesty in right of Canada, and the amount is not paid without delay, the person may, by filing the order, enter as a judgment, in the superior court of the province in which the trial was held, the amount ordered to be paid, and that judgment is enforceable against the offender in the same manner as if it were a judgment rendered against the offender in that court in civil proceedings.

    • Marginal note:Cancellation or suspension of permits, etc.

      (5) If the court makes an order under paragraph (1)(r), any permit or other authorization to which the order relates is cancelled unless the court makes an order suspending it for any period that the court considers appropriate.

    • Marginal note:Coming into force and duration of order

      (6) An order made under subsection (1) comes into force on the day on which it is made or on any other day that the court may determine and shall not continue in force for more than three years after that day unless the court provides otherwise in the order.

 The Act is amended by adding the following after section 292:

Marginal note:Compensation for cost of remedial or preventive action
  • 292.1 (1) A court shall not, under paragraph 291(1)(k), order an offender to compensate a person for the cost of any remedial or preventive action referred to in that paragraph if the person is entitled to make a claim for compensation for that cost under the Marine Liability Act or the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act.

  • Marginal note:Compensation for loss or damage — property

    (2) A court shall not, under subsection 292(1), order an offender to pay to a person an amount by way of satisfaction or compensation for loss of or damage to property if the person is entitled to make a claim for compensation for that loss or damage under the Marine Liability Act or the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act.

 The Act is amended by adding the following after section 294:

Marginal note:Application of fines
  • 294.1 (1) Subject to regulations made under section 278, all fines received by the Receiver General in respect of the commission of an offence under this Act, other than fines collected under the Contraventions Act, are to be credited to the Environmental Damages Fund, an account in the accounts of Canada, and used for purposes related to protecting, conserving or restoring the environment or for administering that Fund.

  • Marginal note:Recommendations of court

    (2) The court imposing the fine may recommend to the Minister that all or a portion of the fine credited to the Environmental Damages Fund be paid to a person or an organization specified by the court for a purpose referred to in subsection (1).

Marginal note:Publication of information about contraventions
  • 294.2 (1) For the purpose of encouraging compliance with this Act and the regulations, the Minister shall maintain, in a registry accessible to the public, information about all convictions of corporations for offences under this Act.

  • Marginal note:Retention

    (2) Information in the registry is to be maintained for a minimum of five years.

Marginal note:Minister may refuse or suspend permit

294.3 The Minister may refuse to issue a permit or other authorization under this Act, or may cancel such a permit or other authorization, if the applicant or the holder has been convicted of an offence under this Act.

Marginal note:Contraventions Act

294.4 If an offence under this Act is designated as a contravention under the Contraventions Act, subsection 8(5) of that Act does not apply in respect of the fine that may be established for that contravention.

Marginal note:Review
  • 294.5 (1) The Minister shall, 10 years after the day on which this section comes into force and every 10 years after that, undertake a review of sections 272 to 294.4.

  • Marginal note:Report to Parliament

    (2) The Minister shall, no later than one year after the day on which the review is undertaken, cause a report on the review to be tabled in each House of Parliament.

 Paragraph 296(1)(b) of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • (b) the offence alleged to have been committed is an offence under this Act, except an offence

    • (i) in respect of the contravention of subsection 16(4), 81(1), (2), (3) or (4), 82(1) or (2), 84(2) or 96(4), section 99, subsection 106(1), (2), (3) or (4), 107(1) or (2), 109(1) or (2), 119(1), 148(1), 202(4) or 213(4) or section 227 or 228, or any obligation or prohibition arising from any of those provisions,

    • (ii) for failing to comply with

      • (A) an order or a direction made under this Act;

      • (B) an order, direction or decision of a court made under this Act; or

      • (C) an agreement, or

    • (iii) under any of paragraphs 272(1)(k) and (l) and subsections 274(1) and (2);

 Section 297 of the Act is replaced by the following:

Marginal note:Sentencing considerations

297. If an information in respect of an offence of contravening an agreement has been laid and proceedings in respect of the alleged offence for which the agreement was entered into have been recommenced, the court imposing a sentence for either offence shall take into account, in addition to the principles and factors referred to in section 287.1, any sentence that has previously been imposed for the other offence.

 

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