Canada Shipping Act, 2001

Marginal note:Definitions

185. The definitions in this section apply in this Part.

“discharge”

« rejet »

“discharge” means a discharge of a pollutant that directly or indirectly results in the pollutant entering waters, and includes spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, throwing and dumping.

“Minister”

« ministre »

“Minister” means the Minister of Transport.

“oil pollution incident”

« événement de pollution par les hydrocarbures »

“oil pollution incident” means an occurrence, or a series of occurrences having the same origin, that results or is likely to result in a discharge of oil.

“pollutant”

« polluant »

“pollutant” means

• (a) a substance that, if added to any waters, would degrade or alter or form part of a process of degradation or alteration of the quality of the waters to an extent that is detrimental to their use by humans or by an animal or a plant that is useful to humans; and

• (b) any water that contains a substance in such a quantity or concentration, or that has been so treated, processed or changed, by heat or other means, from a natural state, that it would, if added to any waters, degrade or alter or form part of a process of degradation or alteration of the quality of the waters to an extent that is detrimental to their use by humans or by an animal or a plant that is useful to humans.

It includes oil and any substance or class of substances that is prescribed for the purpose of Part 8 (Pollution Prevention and Response — Department of Fisheries and Oceans) to be a pollutant.