City of Hamilton pleads guilty to charges over Chedoke Creek sewage spill

The City of Hamilton is facing a $2.1 million fine after pleading guilty to charges laid by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks over the 24 billion litre sewage spill in Chedoke Creek.

The City and the Crown presented a joint submission in the Ontario Court of Justice Thursday with respect to the penalties, and reached an agreement.

In addition to the $2.1 million fine, the City will pay $364,500 to the Royal Botanical Gardens for damages incurred from the sewage leak, as well as a $525,000 Victim Fine Surcharge.

These charges combine for a total of $2,985,500, which the City is required to pay in the next four months.

The City says they have been working closely with the Ministry since the summer of 2018 to investigate and remediate the spill, and apologizes for its actions and the undue impact on the natural environment.

READ MORE: ‘Do nothing’ approach on Chedoke Creek spill unacceptable says ministry

Mayor Andrea Horwath issued a statement this afternoon and said the City failed in its duty to the people of Hamilton.

“There was too much secrecy in this case and not enough disclosure. Mistakes will happen, but we owe it to the people of Hamilton to own up to those mistakes and demonstrate real change in our approach going forward,” Horwath said.

On Monday, targeted dredging on Chedoke Creek started again, an initial phase that involves the removal of debris such as rocks and trees from the water.

READ MORE: Dredging at Chedoke Creek on track to finish before fall

Dredging work is expected to take approximately three-and-a-half months to complete, with sediment removal happening afterwards.

According to the city’s engineering team, approximately 11,000 cubic meters of sediment is expected to be removed during the cleanup process.

A raw sewage leak happened between January 2014 and July 2018, allowing 24 billion litres to spill into Chedoke Creek and Cootes Paradise.