Mercer Celgar’s Castlegar Pulp Mill Fined Over Emission and Monitoring Breaches

Mercer Celgar’s Castlegar pulp mill has been fined $21,250 by the B.C. Ministry of Environment for surpassing emission limits and failing monitoring obligations between December 2023 and March 2025. The violations involved excessive releases of total reduced sulphur, sulphur dioxide, chlorine dioxide, and particulate matter from the mill’s boilers and lime kiln, breaching its environmental permit 15 times. Additionally, the mill failed on 71 occasions to adhere to monitoring requirements, missing 568 hours of continuous data collection. While these issues were classified as “moderate” in environmental impact, recurrent violations over the past decade increased the fine. Mercer Celgar has since implemented several corrective actions, including equipment upgrades and improved maintenance protocols, to prevent future non-compliance.