Cambridge Bay (Sep 04/06) - Miramar Mining Corporation appeared in the Nunavut Court of Justice on Aug. 28.

The Vancouver based mining giant is one of five corporate entities facing charges in connection with a 19,000 litre fuel spill at an exploration camp near Bathurst Inlet, June 16, 2004.

Following the first appearance in Cambridge Bay - during routine circuit court - a date of Oct. 23 was set for the company's next appearance.

The charges show the complex partnerships that go in to mining exploration, and the regulations that govern them.

Five separate legal entities are up on charges: Hope Bay Gold Corporation, Hope Bay Joint Venture, Miramar Con Mine Limited, Miramar Hope Bay Limited, and Miramar Mining Corporation.

Each company faces a total of five charges under the federal Fisheries Act, the Migratory Birds Convention Act, and the Nunavut Waters and Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal Act (NWNSRT).

Fisheries Act charges come from section 36, which protects fish-filled waters from damaging deposits.

The Migratory Birds Convention Act is a treaty with the United States protecting animals.

Two of the three NWNSRT charges are for depositing waste in Nunavut waters.

The third is under section 87, which pertains to the rights and powers of government inspectors.

Miramar's matters were the biggest item on the Cambridge Bay circuit court docket.

Of 160 separate charges listed, 25 were against Miramar and the other companies associated with the diesel spill.