Prince Albert, Sask., mayor hopes Husky charges will deter against future spills

A mayor whose city had to shut its intake pipes on the North Saskatchewan River after a pipeline spill hopes charges against the company act as a deterrent to prevent future spills.

Prince Albert, Sask., Mayor Greg Dionne says the incident on the North Saskatchewan River made him more aware of the danger from the many pipelines that criss-cross Saskatchewan.

Calgary-based Husky Energy is to appear in provincial court in Lloydminster on Thursday to face one charge in violation of the Environmental Management and Protection Act.

The company also faces eight charges under the federal Fisheries Act and one more under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act.

The charges result from the spill of 225,000 litres of diluted heavy oil from a Husky pipeline near Maidstone in west-central Saskatchewan in July 2016.

About 40 per cent of the leaked crude made it into the river, causing an oil plume that flowed hundreds of kilometres downstream, forcing North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort to shut off their water intakes for almost two months.

The company has said the pipeline buckled and leaked because of ground movement.