Otter Lake landfill fine not revealed to council or community

Both the area councillor and the head of the community committee that oversees the Otter Lake landfill say municipal officials never told them the facility had been ticketed for an alleged violation of environmental laws.

Coun. Reg Rankin and Jack Mitchell, the chair of the landfill's community monitoring committee, say they only learned of the ticket and the city's plans to fight it from a CBC News report.

Mitchell said he was briefed several times by Gord Helm, the city's manager of solid waste at the time, about a problem a year ago at the landfill. He said that during a month of heavy rain, sediment ponds overflowed and dirty water washed into nearby Nine Mile River.

He's satisfied with the city's explanation of what happened, believes the landfill is well run by operator Mirror Nova Scotia, and said there appears to be no harm to the environment.

However, Mitchell questions why the municipality never told the committee about the fine levied by provincial enforcement officials under the Environment Act.

"I find HRM doesn't give you all the information. They hold back on information," he said Wednesday.

The city has said it plans to defend itself against the charge, but Rankin said the fine was levied almost a year ago and councillors should have been given the details.

"I'm not particularly interested in having staff characterize communications with the province, communications with the operator and that there may not be any problem," Rankin said.

"Let us determine that, give us the evidence and what is it that is at stake."

On Tuesday, Halifax CAO Richard Butts apologized in council chambers, saying councillors were supposed to be told but weren't due to a memo mix-up.

Nova Scotia's Environment Department alleges in court documents that during a one-year period beginning in January 2013, 20 surface water samples taken from the landfill contained more sediment than allowed under approval conditions.

In February, it handed the municipality a $693.95 fine.

A municipal spokeswoman said Monday that Halifax will defend itself in court next week and does not believe the landfill's approval conditions have been violated.