| New Environmental Enforcement Act | 16 March 09 |
 The Canadian federal government has introduced a new environmental enforcement bill to crack down on polluters by increasing maximum fines and listing offenders on a public registry. Polluting corporations would also be forced to inform shareholders of their environmental record.The legislation would amend nine existing laws - some which have not been updated in over twenty years. Maximum fines would be raised as high as $6 million for large corporations and $1 million for individuals who commit serious offences. The government has spent $21 million to boost its enforcement capacity and have hired over 100 new enforcement officers across the country. Stephen Hazell, an environmentalist who heads the Sierra Club of Canada, says the Conservative government deserves praise for a commitment to enforcement. Enforcement officers would be given more power to investigate cases and all fines would go to the Environmental Damages Fund, which provides funding to local environmental improvement initiatives. View March 4, 2009 Environment Canada press releaseView Environment Canada's Backgrounder: Overview of the Environmental Enforcement Bill View March 5, 2009 Globe and Mail article View March 4, 2009 Toronto Star article Sources: Environment Canada, Globe and Mail, Canadian Press |
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