Photo: pixabay A mushroom farm owner BC was fined $ 650,000 for releasing toxic wastewater into nearby waters, creating a deadly environment for fish. The court ordered fines imposed on two Abbotsford mushroom farms: Delfresh Mushroom Farm Ltd., which was fined $ 265,000, and HQ Mushroom Farm Ltd., which ended up with a $ 385,000 bill. Both farms belong to the same person, who pleaded guilty last November to breaches of fisheries law, according to a written statement from Environment and Climate Change Canada. Federal environmental inspectors first inspected HQ Mushroom Farm in 2015 and Delfresh in 2018. In both cases, police returned after identifying “harmful substances” and in both cases, toxic effluent continued to be dumped into the surrounding water six months later. It was then that the federations proceeded with accusations, according to the announcement of the ministry. Delfresh Mushroom Farm Ltd. must also state in the Environment and Climate Change Canada how it will prevent the release of substances in the future. The money from the fines will go to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damage Fund, a tool built in 1995 to support projects that restore the environment and protect wildlife and habitats.
