Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act (S.C. 2002, c. 18)

Marginal note:Forfeiture of things seized

• 25 (1) When a person is convicted of an offence under this Act, the convicting court may, in addition to any punishment imposed, order that any seized thing by means of or in relation to which the offence was committed, or any proceeds of its disposition, be forfeited to Her Majesty in right of Canada.

• Marginal note:Return where no forfeiture ordered

  (2) If the convicting court does not order the forfeiture, a seized thing or the proceeds of its disposition shall be returned to its lawful owner or the person lawfully entitled to it.

• Marginal note:Retention or sale

  (3) If a fine is imposed on a person convicted of an offence under this Act, any seized thing or any proceeds of its disposition may be retained until the fine is paid or the thing may be sold in satisfaction of the fine and the proceeds applied, in whole or in part, in payment of the fine.

Marginal note:Disposition by Minister

26 Any seized thing that has been forfeited under this Act to Her Majesty in right of Canada or abandoned by its owner may be dealt with and disposed of as the Minister may direct.

Marginal note:Application of fines

• 26.1 (1) 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 marine conservation areas 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:Orders of court

• 27 (1) If a person is convicted of an offence under this Act, in addition to any punishment imposed, the court may, having regard to the nature of the offence and the circumstances surrounding its commission, make an order containing one or more of the following prohibitions, directions or requirements:

  • (a) prohibiting the person from doing any act or engaging in any activity that may, in the court’s opinion, result in the continuation or repetition of the offence;

  • (b) directing the person to take any action that the court considers appropriate to remedy or avoid any damage to any marine conservation area resources that resulted or may result from the commission of the offence;

  • (c) directing the person to post a bond, provide surety or pay into court an amount of money that the court considers appropriate for the purpose of ensuring compliance with any prohibition, direction or requirement mentioned in this section;

  • (d) directing the person to prepare and implement a pollution prevention plan or an environmental emergency plan;

  • (e) directing the person to carry out, in the manner established by the Minister, monitoring of the environmental effects of any activity or undertaking on the resources of a marine conservation area or directing the person to pay, in the manner specified by the court, an amount for that purpose;

  • (f) directing the person to implement an environmental management system approved by the Minister;

  • (g) directing the person to have an environmental audit conducted by a person of a class and at the times specified by the Minister and directing the person to remedy any deficiencies revealed during the audit;

  • (h) directing the person to pay to Her Majesty in right of Canada an amount of money that the court considers appropriate for the purpose of promoting the protection, conservation or restoration of marine conservation areas;

  • (i) directing the person 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;

  • (j) directing the person to notify, at the person’s own cost and in the manner specified by the court, any person aggrieved or affected by the person’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;

  • (k) directing the person to submit to the Minister, when requested to do so by the Minister at any time within three years after the date of conviction, any information with respect to the person’s activities that the court considers appropriate in the circumstances;

  • (l) directing the person 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 any costs of assessing appropriate remedial or preventive action;

  • (m) directing the person to perform community service, subject to any reasonable conditions that may be imposed in the order;

  • (n) directing the person to pay, in a manner specified by the court, an amount to enable research to be conducted into the protection, conservation or restoration of marine conservation areas;

  • (o) requiring the person to surrender to the Minister any permit or other authorizing instrument issued under this Act to the person;

  • (p) prohibiting the person from applying for any new permit or other authorizing instrument under this Act during any period that the court considers appropriate;

  • (q) directing the person to pay, in the manner prescribed by the court, an amount to environmental or other groups to assist in their work related to the marine conservation area where the offence was committed;

  • (r) directing the person 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; and

  • (s) requiring the person to comply with any other conditions that the court considers appropriate.

• Marginal note:Publication

  (1.1) If a person fails to comply with an order made under paragraph (1)(i), the Minister may, in the manner that the court directed the person 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 person.

• Marginal note:Debt due to Her Majesty

  (1.2) If the court makes an order under paragraph (1)(h) or (l) directing a person to pay an amount to Her Majesty in right of Canada, or if the Minister incurs publication costs under subsection (1.1), 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

  (1.3) If the court makes an order under paragraph (1)(l) directing a person to pay an amount to another person, other than to Her Majesty in right of Canada, and the amount is not paid without delay, that other 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 person who was directed to pay the amount 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 permit, etc.

  (1.4) If the court makes an order under paragraph (1)(o), any permit or other authorizing instrument 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:Suspended sentence

  (2) Where a person is convicted of an offence under this Act and the court suspends the passing of sentence under paragraph 731(1)(a) of the Criminal Code, the court may, in addition to any probation order made under that paragraph, make an order referred to in subsection (1).

• Marginal note:Imposition of sentence

  (3) If the person does not comply with the order or is convicted of another offence, the court may, within three years after the order was made, on the application of the prosecution, impose any sentence that could have been imposed if the passing of sentence had not been suspended.

• Marginal note:Coming into force and duration of order

  (4) 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.

Marginal note:Compensation for loss of property

• 28 (1) If a person has been convicted of an offence under this Act, the court may, at the time sentence is imposed and on the application of the person aggrieved, order the offender to pay to the aggrieved person an amount by way of satisfaction or compensation for loss of or damage to property suffered by that person as a result of the commission of the offence.

• Marginal note:Enforcement

  (2) If the amount ordered to be paid under subsection (1) is not paid without delay, the aggrieved 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:Compensation for cost of remedial or preventive action

• 28.01 (1) A court shall not, under paragraph 27(1)(l), order a person to compensate another person for the cost of any remedial or preventive action referred to in that paragraph if the other 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 28(1), order a person to pay to another person an amount by way of satisfaction or compensation for loss of or damage to property if the other 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.

Marginal note:Limitation period

28.1 No proceedings by way of summary conviction in respect of an offence under this Act may be instituted more than five years after the day on which the subject matter of the proceedings arose, unless the prosecutor and the defendant agree that they may be instituted after the five years.

Marginal note:Contraventions Act

28.2 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:Publication of information about contraventions

• 28.3 (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:Review

• 28.4 (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 24 to 28.3.

• 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.

Mitigation of Environmental Damage

Marginal note:Pollution clean-up

• 29 (1) Where a substance that is capable of degrading the environment or injuring any animal, fish or plant is discharged or deposited within a marine conservation area, any person who has charge, management or control of the substance or who causes or contributes to the discharge or deposit shall take reasonable measures to prevent or mitigate such degradation or injury.

• Marginal note:Powers of Minister

  (2) If the Minister is of the opinion that a person is not taking measures required by subsection (1), the Minister shall direct the person to take those measures and, if the person fails to do so, the Minister may direct those measures to be taken on behalf of Her Majesty in right of Canada.

• Marginal note:Expenses of clean-up

  (3) A person who fails to comply with a direction given by the Minister under subsection (2) is liable for the expenses reasonably incurred by Her Majesty in right of Canada in taking the measures directed and those expenses may be recovered from that person, with costs, in proceedings brought in the name of Her Majesty in any court of competent jurisdiction.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (4) No measures may be directed to be taken under subsection (2) to prevent or mitigate any degradation or injury if action may be taken under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act or the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, to prevent or mitigate the same degradation or injury.

Consequential Amendments

30 to 41 [Amendments]