Owner of former Smurfit-Stone mill site to be sentenced in July

The owner of the formerSmurfit-Stone mill site in Bathurstwill be sentenced on July 21for failing to clean up the property.

The maximum fine for a companyon the chargeunder the Clean Environment Actis $1 million.

However, as Bathurst Redevelopment Inc.is insolvent,any fine is largely symbolic, the Crown prosecutor noted at asentencing hearing on Friday.

Bathurst Redevelopment Inc. was found guilty of the charge last month in a provincial court trial. The guilty finding came in an ex parte trial that did not require the defendant to be present after the company did not show up for its previous court appearances.

The province of New Brunswick hasn't had any communication with the owners of the site in 422 days, the hearing was told.

• Owner of former Smurfit-Stone site found guilty of failing to clean up property

Smurfit-Stoneclosed its Bathurst mill in 2005 and decommissioning activities began in 2008.

In 2010, the site was sold to Bathurst Redevelopment Inc., which is a Canadian subsidiary of Illinois-based Green Investment Group.

The new owners promised a "green cleanup" at the site near the heart of the city. However, only valuable metals and equipment wereremoved. What remains on the sitehas been described as an "eyesore."

In April 2015, the company was issued a cleanup order under the Clean Environment Act,but thatexpired 120 days later without the company taking any action.

Almost $1 million in back taxes is owing on the property.