The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the health and safety of Canadians and our environment. The Government enforces laws that protect Canada's air, water, and natural environment and we take this responsibility very seriously.
On July 25, 2022, De Beers Canada, Inc. was sentenced to pay $350,000, in Yellowknife Territorial Court, Northwest Territories, after pleading guilty to one offence under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), in violation of the Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations, subsection 2.1(1). The fine will be directed to the Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund to support projects that benefit the natural environment.
In December 2017, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) enforcement officers responded to a report of a diesel spill at the Snap Lake Mine. The diamond mine, now non-operational, is located on the Canadian tundra just south of the Arctic Circle, about 220 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. An investigation by ECCC revealed that up to 1125 litres of diesel spilled during a fuel transfer between two above ground storage tanks.
As a result of this conviction, the company's name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry. The Registry contains information on convictions of corporations registered for offences committed under certain federal environmental laws.
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