Nova Scotia town fined $100K by Environment Canada for spilling raw sewage into brook

A town in central Nova Scotia has been fined $100,000 by the federal Environment Department for spilling raw sewage into a brook.

A news release by the department says the Town of Trenton pleaded guilty in provincial court in Pictou County on one count of violating the federal Fisheries Act.

The department says the money collected from the town will go toward a fund the federal government uses to repair environmental damage across the country.

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Aside from fining the town, the court also ordered it to meet several conditions, including that it ensure municipal staff are taught the requirements of the Fisheries Act.

On Nov. 13, 2019, officers with the Environment Department received a complaint of a strong sewage smell along a street near Lowden Brook, a tributary to the East River that supports populations of speckled trout, brown trout, and Atlantic salmon.

The department’s investigation found that raw sewage was discharged into the water between June 1, 2019, and Jan. 4, 2020.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2024.