Three sources have told The Sudbury Star that police and Environment Canada officials raided Vale’s general engineering building in Sudbury on Thursday as part of an investigation into what one source said was a spill affecting fish and wildlife.



A source said Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Environment Canada employees spent four hours removing files, cabinets and computers with passwords from the Vale building on Lorne Street in Copper Cliff.



Another source said police and government officials seized all files, passwords and data from the environmental department, located in the engineering building.



"And they were collecting security cards after the employees left, so they couldn’t come back to the building," said the Vale employee, who provided the information to The Sudbury Star on the condition of anonymity.



Vale’s Sudbury spokeswoman Angie Robson confirmed that Environment Canada was on site Thursday "collecting information related to alleged infractions under the Fisheries Act that allegedly occurred in 2012. Vale is co-operating fully in providing the information required."



Robson said the company couldn’t comment further on the matter as it is under investigation.



One of the three sources who provided information to The Star said Vale lawyer and general manager of production services, Jody Kuzenko, was present for the raid.



Calls to officials of United Steelworkers, the union representing about 2,500 production and maintenance workers, were not returned Thursday evening.



Calls were also placed to media relations officers with both the RCMP and Environment Canada after 5 p.m., when The Star received the information, but their offices were closed for the day.



Look for more on this story online Friday at www.thesudburystar.com and Saturday in The Star’s print edition.



carol.mulligan@sunmedia.ca