Bruce Power is facing a pair of charges following the death of as many as five million fish caught in the company’s underwater infrastructure.
Back in February 2025, the infrastructure that is used to extract water from Lake Huron to cool the energy producer’s turbines was the site of a massive fish kill.
Bruce Power had originally said in its own findings that the fish kill was the result of an organizational failure.
During that time frame, a cold snap led to a large number of fish, particularly the Gizzard shad, seeking refuge near Bruce Power’s discharge tunnel.
The warm water was at the time attractive to species of fish that are temperature sensitive.
During February and March of that year, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) estimates that between 3.3 and 4.4 million fish were killed, which equates to around 200 times more than Bruce Power’s authorized limit based on weight under the Fisheries Act.
In a statement, Bruce Power said that the company immediately invested millions of dollars in protective measures, including sonar and camera-based systems, and expanded lake monitoring to better understand fish movement and ecosystem responses. Those new measures were implemented for the winter of 2026.
The energy producer also started to implement physical deterrents, including strobe lights and barrier nets.
Bruce Power is set to make a court appearance in Walkerton on November 24.
The company could face a fine of up to $200,000, according to media sources.