Canadian oil sands player Syncrude Canada Ltd. has been charged under the country’s laws over the deaths of 500 ducks that landed in one of the company’s toxic "lakes" in Alberta, an oil province of Canada’s.

A official order went out last week for oil companies to begin cleaning up the pools of trailings produced in the extraction of bitumen, forebearer to synthetic crude. But many in Canada’s loud political arena say “justice” was not “timely”.

The agonizing deaths of the birds were flashed across TV screens when discovered in April 2008. Now, Syncrude might have to pay up to $800,000 in fines. Charges are being laid under the Alberta Environmental Enhancement and Protection Act and the Federal Migratory Birds Convention. Both laws prohibit business operations that harm birds.

Operator Syncrude made valiant efforts to save the ducks, but none survived a rescue operation. The company has been entirely forthcoming about the scene at Aurora settling basin, but the country’s Greens have been loud in their condemnation of policies over tailings ponds.

The Syncrude Project is a joint venture of Canadian Oil Sands Ltd., ConocoPhillips Oil Sand Partnership II, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Ltd., Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Nexen Oil Sands Partnership, and Petro-Canada Oil and Gas.

Last week, government environmental regulators unveiled an enforcable action plan to ensure oil companies clean up their tailings ponds no longer in use.

Tags: Syncrude Joint Venture