Imperial pleads guilty to EPEA violation in Crown’s summary disposition on Kearl

Fort McMurray, AB, June 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imperial Oil Resources Limited (Imperial) pled guilty in the Alberta Court of Justice at a May 29 hearing to contravening a term or condition of its Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) approval, which is considered an offence under section 227 (e) of EPEA.

The charge was in relation to an overflow of industrial wastewater from a drainage pond located at Imperial’s Kearl Oil Sands Processing Plant and Mine, reported to the AER on February 4, 2023. The Agreed Statement of Facts submitted by the Crown and Defence to the Alberta Court of Justice can be found here.

The Alberta Court of Justice has ordered Imperial to pay a $120,000 penalty, of which $2,000 is a fine, inclusive of victim fine surcharge, and $118,000 will go towards funding a creative sentencing project. The creative sentencing project, which will be administered by the AER pursuant to the Court order, must have demonstrable benefits to Alberta public lands, Indigenous traditional territory within Alberta, wetlands, or surrounding ecosystems (including vegetation, mammals, birds, fish, invertebrates, amphibians, and other species).

For more information on the AER’s investigation and enforcement processes, please see the Investigations webpage on www.aer.ca.

About the Alberta Energy Regulator

The AER provides for the safe, efficient, orderly, and environmentally responsible development of energy and mineral resources in Alberta through our regulatory activities.