An account of how the province responded to a massive chemical spill in Fredericton is raising questions about who's responsible for notifying the New Brunswick Environment Department when one occurs. When a spill like that happens, Martin said, the act requires the responsible party to "immediately" notify the environment minister that it occurred. Martin said the environment minister can also decide to prosecute a company for failing to notify their department about a contaminant spill. Deputy environment minister Charbel Awad told reporters XL Plating and Machining was responsible for a chemical spill in the Fredericton area. CBC News on Thursday asked the Environment Department whether the company made any attempts to notify the department about the spill, but an emailed statement did not address the question.

Source: CBC News March 13, 2026 23:01 UTC