Kirkland Lake aggregate operator fined $6,000

A Kirkland Lake aggregate screen operator has been fined $6,250 for violations under Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act (EPA).

Timothy Swanson, owner of Jordash Trucking and Equipment, had initially been convicted and fined $112,750, back in December 2022, for two violations under the EPA for discharging a contaminant, causing an adverse effect, and disobeying a provincial orders officer. 

But Swanson successfully appealed the count of discharging a contaminant causing an adverse effect and the fine was reduced to $5,000 plus the victim fine surcharge of $1,250. He has one year to pay.

In 2017 and 2018, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks received noise complaints about the company’s operations. In June 2018, ministry staff went to the site and observed heavy equipment and aggregates screening equipment and conveyors being operated.

Swanson was instructed that a ministry approval for the aggregates screening equipment was required. An approval must be obtained for operations that produce contaminants that may cause an adverse effect. The approvals contain limits and conditions to mitigate or eliminate those adverse effects.

Operations continued over the summer of 2018, resulting more noise complaints

The ministry said it issued several orders in 2019 requiring Swanson to submit a completed ministry approval application for the aggregates screening equipment. A ministry approval application was not received, which resulted in the initial charges.