Both the federal and provincial governments have laid charges against Syncrude Canada Ltd.
The charges stem from an incident last April where approximately 500 waterfowl died after landing on a Syncrude tailings pond north of Fort McMurray.
Environment Canada has laid charges against the company for failing to have appropriate deterrents in place at the tailings pond at its Aurora North Site mine facility last spring.
Syncrude is charged with one count under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. The maximum penalty is a fine of $300,000, six months imprisonment, or both.
The province has also laid its own charges under section 155 of the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enchancement Act (EPEA). The maximum penalty is $500,000.
The company's first court appearance is set for March 25th in Fort McMurray.
