The owners of a Wheaton River Valley gold mine have been ordered to pay nearly $25,000 for occupational health and safety violations at the mine.

Tagish Lake Gold Corp. pleaded guilty to three charges in December 2012 in territorial court and was sentenced Monday afternoon.

During a July 2011 inspection of the site 80 km southwest of Whitehorse, occupational health and safety officials found several pieces of deficient machinery being used at the site, the court first heard at a hearing last year.

Both a scissor lift and scoop tram were lacking functional fire suppression equipment,.

As well, the scoop tram also lacked an adequate cab to protect the driver from falling objects.

On July 20, 2011, a verbal stop-work order was issued.

When inspectors returned a month later, the equipment was being used.

Last year, the company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Pacific Metals Corp., pleaded guilty to three counts of failing to ensure workers were aware of the hazards of handling or using equipment.

At the same time, mine superintendent Bill Lewkoski was fined $5,000 for his role in the violations.

In court Monday, the company's lawyer, Blair Shaw, placed much focus on mine supervisor Mark Greasley.

Shaw alleged the company was duped by Greasley, who had claimed to be an engineer but was not.

It was Greasley who told the company's Vancouver head office the occupational health and safety orders were being followed, the lawyer said.

Greasley, who court documents list as being from Estevan, Sask., is facing a string of occupation health and safety charges of his own.

However, officials have not been able to find him and serve him with the documents.

None of the charges he faces have been proved it court.

Shaw told Judge Donald Luther that Tagish Lake Gold began looking for a replacement for Greasley after the July 2011 violations. He was officially fired days after the inspectors returned in August.

The mine was shut down by the inspectors after their last visit in August 2011.

It remains closed, though that has more to do with economic factors such as the price of gold, the court heard.

In his decision, Luther said it was fortunate that there was no injuries or killed.

He said the company, which has no previous record of violations, appears to be a good corporate citizen.

Tagish Lake Gold was fined $7,000 for each of the three charges and $3,150 in victim fine surcharges for a total penalty of $24,150.

The company was given one month to pay.