https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/company-fined-350000-for-depositing-damaging-substance-in-fraser-river
Fraser River Pile and Dredge (GP) Inc. recently pleaded guilty to the Fisheries Act violation in British Columbia provincial court. The court fined the company $350,000. The fine was a result of one of the company’s dredging causing the depositing a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish – the Fraser River.
The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on the Fraser River in February 2014. During that time, the company was dredging in Deas Slough in the Fraser River when its vessel punctured a submerged water main carrying chlorinated water to the City of Delta. Enforcement officers from Environment Canada and Climate Change (ECCC) investigated the incident and determined that chlorinated water was released through the pipe into the waterway.
ECCC charged the company with the Fisheries Act violation as Deas Slough is an important fish-bearing body of water and the concentration of chlorine that was released was damaging to fish.
Fraser River Pile & Dredge (GP) Inc. (FRPD) is Canada’s largest Marine & Infrastructure, Land Foundations and Dredging contractor. FRPD’s fleet includes cutter suction and trailing suction hopper dredges, spud barges, cranes, dump scows, and flat scows. The company performs all types and sizes of marine & infrastructure, environmental remediation, dredging and land foundations projects.
The $350,000 collected from the company by the government will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund. Also, the company’s name will be added to an Candian environmental offenders registry.
