Cermaq fined $500K for 2017 diesel spill at fish farm off Vancouver Island
A provincial court judge has ordered the owner of a fish farm off northern Vancouver Island to pay $500,000 for spilling more than 500 litres of diesel fuel into the ocean in 2017.
Cermaq Canada, which owns the farm in Echo Bay, approximately 70 kilometres east of Port Hardy, admitted to failing to do its due diligence to prevent the spill on March 5, 2017.
The company said the spill occurred when an employee, who was transferring diesel from one tank to another, tied a rope around the fuel nozzle to keep it engaged while he attended to other duties.
The employee forgot about the fuel pump until the following day.
The coast guard estimated that approximately 522 litres of marine diesel overflowed from the tank, while an environmental cleanup company estimated that 550 litres were spilled.
The cleanup effort lasted several days with Cermaq covering the $885,000 cost for the recovery and remediation work.
Judge Catherine Ann Crockett heard from experts who testified that diesel contains chemicals that are harmful to fish, but found the evidence "inconclusive" on whether marine life was harmed.
"It is simply not possible to measure the impact of the marine diesel on all organisms," the judge wrote in her ruling. "No one observed any dead fish, including the salmon in the pens. The amount of harmful substances in organisms such as clams quickly dissipated to the point there was no health risk for consumers."
The Crown sought a fine of $1.4 million for unlawfully depositing a deleterious substance in water frequented by fish in contravention of the Fisheries Act, while Cermaq proposed a fine of $250,000.
In addition to the $500,000 fine, Cermaq has been ordered to publish the court's decision on its website for 90 days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.