Environment committee  It has never been imposed. The biggest fine ever collected was $100,000.

Environment committee  I think the point to make on this, Mr. Chair, is that when courts see a maximum, that's giving them a guidepost; it's giving them an indicator. At the same time, they're now going to see a minimum for the most serious offences, which is going to give them another guidepost. It'

Environment committee  I can allow Ms. Cosgrove to elaborate, but there have been several studies to show that particularly when you indicate the maximum fine, you're indicating the severity of the offence and you're giving an example of society's intolerance for such offences. So there have been studi

Environment committee  I guess the first part of that to point out is on the compliance orders. This enables stopping the infraction right away. The second point to remind members of, as I'm sure you will recall, is that additional enforcement officers have been hired. I think it's an important point

Environment committee  Yes, I am, Mr. Chair.

Environment committee  Thank you. The enforcement bill, Bill C-16, would strengthen environmental enforcement to make polluters more accountable. The amendments are designed to contribute to the three main goals: deterrence of environmental offences, public denunciation of environmental offences, and

Environment committee  I think Dr. Wrona would be well positioned to answer that.

Environment committee  Briefly, Mr. Chair, the reclamation is just starting with respect to the first tailings ponds, so these are early days with respect to the tailings ponds, if that's what your question is about.

Environment committee  Okay, you are talking more broadly. Coincidentally, I met with CEMA earlier this week, and they are actually asking for greater involvement by Environment Canada in reclamation. Normally reclamation would be a provincial responsibility, but because we have authority with respec

Environment committee  We've been less involved in that because of our responsibilities, so we've been asked to have a greater involvement.

Environment committee  There would be two points to that, Mr. Chair. On the first point on whether we would be putting in a monitoring station, our authority for water quality monitoring is related to transboundary issues, so we would probably not be putting a station in there. The other thing is th

Environment committee  In terms of Environment Canada's advice into environmental assessments, yes, we do give advice with respect to the impact on water quantity and the potential impact of that water quantity on the ecology and health of river ecosystems.

Environment committee  Yes, I don't have those figures today. A lot of that would be the province looking at the flow, but Environment Canada provides the information on what the ecological effects might be if there is a lowering of the water flow. So we provide that information and then the Alberta go

Environment committee  On the impacts of water withdrawals?

Environment committee  Yes, I'm sure we could find one.