It can be extremely expensive to cut corners when it comes to waste management, a lesson that was recently learned by a municipality, a local landowner, and a contractor.
Swift Current contractor, Knudsen Excavating, The Town of Cabri, and landowner, Lindsey Kelsey, were fined a total of $51,000 in Swift Current Provincial Court on October 4, 2022, after pleading guilty to numerous offences under The Enviromental Management and Protection Act and The Municipal Refuse Management Regulations.
Back in February of 2022, conservation officers in Swift Current received information from the Turn in Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) line that Knudsen Excavating was demolishing houses in Cabri and hauling the material to Lindsey Kelsey’s land located northeast of the town, where they were burning the materials at night, violating environmental laws.
Upon investigation, officers discovered that four houses belonging to the Town of Cabri and one house belonging to Kelsey had been demolished. The waste was taken to Kelsey’s property where it was burned.
An immediate Enviromental Protection Order was issued by environmental protection officers to stop all work and assess contamination at the burn site.
The investigation resulted in charges against three parties for discarding waste, establishing a waste disposal ground, and engaging in industrial activity all without the required permits.
The Town of Cabri and Knudsen Excavating were each fined $21,000, while Kelsey was fined $9,000 following guilty pleas.
The money from the fines will go to the province's Impacted Sites Fund, which provides support to municipal governments to clean up abandoned, environmentally impacted sites.
Knudsen Excavating also cleaned up the disposal site.
If you suspect wildlife, fisheries, forestry or environmental violations, please call Saskatchewan's TIPP line at 1-800-667-7561, or call #5555 from a SaskTel cellular device.
Violations can also be reported online at saskatchewan.ca/tipp. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for cash rewards from the SaskTip Reward Program.