Canada Shipping Act, 2001

Marginal note:Definitions

185 The definitions in this section apply in this Part.

discharge

discharge means a discharge of a pollutant that directly or indirectly results in the pollutant entering waters, and includes spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, throwing and dumping. (rejet)

Minister

Minister means the Minister of Transport. (ministre)

oil pollution incident

oil pollution incident means an occurrence, or a series of occurrences having the same origin, that results or may result in a discharge of oil. (événement de pollution par les hydrocarbures)

pollutant

pollutant means

• (a) a substance that, if added to any waters, would degrade or alter or form part of a process of degradation or alteration of the quality of the waters to an extent that is detrimental to their use by humans or by an animal or a plant that is useful to humans; and

• (b) any water that contains a substance in such a quantity or concentration, or that has been so treated, processed or changed, by heat or other means, from a natural state, that it would, if added to any waters, degrade or alter or form part of a process of degradation or alteration of the quality of the waters to an extent that is detrimental to their use by humans or by an animal or a plant that is useful to humans.

It includes oil and any substance or class of substances that is prescribed for the purpose of Part 8 (Pollution Prevention and Response — Department of Transport and Department of Fisheries and Oceans) to be a pollutant. (polluant)