Millions of fish died at an Ontario nuclear plant in 2025.
asserted
Millions → die → 2025
Now its operator faces federal charges
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operator → face → charges
Fisheries and Oceans Canada said Bruce Power exceeded annual fish kill limit by 200 times
The private company that operates the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station faces two federal Fisheries Act charges after millions of fish died in the plant's cooling water intake system in 2025.
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millions → say → 2025
The charges against Bruce Power come after a CBC News investigation revealed publicly, for the first time, the extraordinary scale of what happened.
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what → come → scale
An estimated 8.1 million gizzard shad massed near the power plant during a sudden cold snap on Feb. 13, 2025, according to an internal report from Bruce Power.
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shad → estimate → Power
The small, cold-sensitive fish were drawn to the warm water discharged into Lake Huron near Tiverton, Ont., by the nuclear power plant over a two-month period, between February and March of 2025.
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fish → draw → 2025
The fish subsequently became trapped and died against the plant's intake screens in such large numbers that one reactor had to be shut down and another had to reduce power, straining the province's electrical grid during a prolonged winter cold spell.
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another → trap → spell
The company's own findings said the massive fish kill was the result of an "organizational failure" to adapt to changing environmental conditions caused by climate change.
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kill → say → change
Dead gizzard shad lie along the Thames River in 2021.
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shad → lie → 2021
The same temperature-sensitive species washed ashore along Lake Huron for days during the 2025 fish kill at Bruce Power.
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species → wash → Power
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) estimates between 3.3 and 4.3 million fish died between February and March of 2025 — more than 200 times Bruce Power's annual authorized limit by weight.
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fish → estimate → weight
Gizzard shad carcasses washed ashore in nearby communities for days, while Bruce Power used a crane to scoop millions of dead fish from the plant's cooling water channels before hauling them to a landfill, provincial records showed.
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records → wash → landfill
Under the federal Fisheries Act, Bruce Power was charged last month with causing the death of fish through non-fishing industrial operations and violating the conditions of its environmental permit, which limits the company to 6,600 kilograms of dead fish annually.
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which → charge → fish
"As this matter is before the courts, we cannot comment on how we intend to plead or provide additional commentary relating to the charges," Megan Adams, Bruce Power's director of corporate communications, wrote in an email.
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Adams → comment → email
The company will appear in Ontario provincial court on Nov. 24.
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company → appear → Nov.
Fines pay for environmental restoration
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Fines → pay → restoration
In a recent news release, Bruce Power said it was transparent with regulators, including DFO and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, as well as nearby First Nations and municipalities about the fish kill.
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it → say → kill
Still, prosecutors don't have to prove the company meant to kill fish in order to establish an offence, according to Theresa McClenaghan, a lawyer and the executive director of the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA).
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company → have → Association
"The courts consider Fisheries Act offences to be serious offences," she said.
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she → consider → ?
Fines for a first offence can range from a few thousand dollars to $200,000, she said, and are intended to deter violations and express the court's condemnation.
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she → range → condemnation
When a fine is issued by the court, the money goes into the federal Environmental Damages Fund to support conservation, habitat protection or restoration, McClenaghan said.
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McClenaghan → issue → conservation
The court can also recommend directing the money to a particular organization or project, including an Indigenous nation or for environmental research.
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court → recommend → research
Since the fish kill, Bruce Power has spent more than $10 million on mitigation measures, including nets to keep fish out, acoustic and strobe-light deterrants, sonar, cameras and artificial intelligence to monitor fish movements, along with expanded lake research.
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Power → spend → research
Ryan Lauzon, a fisheries biologist who advises Saugeen Ojibway Nation, whose traditional territory includes the nuclear plant, said during a recent onsite visit last year he saw gaps in the mitigation measures.
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he → advise → measures
"I did see fish that were swimming right up to that sound and acoustic deterrent system.
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that → see → system
There was gaps in the nets that were being used to exclude the fish.
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that → be → fish
They ended up having to take the net out because they were so full of algae and dead fish.
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they → end → algae
Invasive zebra and quagga mussels have depleted the plankton that supports Lake Huron's food web, Lauzon said, leaving less food for other species and making the loss of millions of gizzard shad concerning.
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loss → deplete → shad
Lauzon, who has written a paper on the fish kill, said smaller die-offs happened at the plant in 1977 and 2023.
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offs → write → 1977
He said while Bruce Power may have spent millions on mitigation measures, they don't address the warm-water discharge that attracts the fish in the first place.
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that → say → place
- Rare footage reveals 'fish city' near an Ontario nuclear plant on Lake Huron
- Lake Huron's 'fish city' is a sign of trouble at nuclear plant, says Ontario First Nation
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Nation → reveal → plant
"Unfortunately, the plant acts as a giant fish trap," he said.
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he → act → trap
"Until we establish the effectiveness of mitigation measures and try to deal with this attractant issue, I still think there's real danger.
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I → establish → issue
The cooling systems that draw those fish also face growing challenges as the climate changes, said McClenaghan, who noted the incident may point to a need to rethink how nuclear plants are cooled in a changing climate.
uncertain
plants → cool → climate
"On the list of possibilities are cooling towers or cooling loops as opposed to what happens right now," she said.
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she → cool → possibilities
"The lakes are acting as a heat sink."
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lakes → act → sink
The Aporia
