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May 29, 2021 - 4:30 PM
CN Rail will have to pay $100,000 after spraying pesticides in northwestern B.C. along railroad tracks.
The railway company entered a guilty plea and has been sentenced to a penalty of $100,000 in connection with failing to obtain the required authorization to apply pesticide to its train tracks, according to the Conservation Officer Service.
The company pleaded guilty in Prince Rupert court on Thursday, May 27, to using a pesticide without a required Pest Management Plan in place, which is a violation of the Integrated Pest Management Act, according to the service.
In August 2017, CN Rail contractor used a pesticide spray along roughly150 kilometres of track between Terrace and Prince Rupert, in the Skeena region. This area runs along the Skeena River flood plain, and the spraying damaged nearby vegetation, according to the service.
The majority of the fine, $95,000, will go toward the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation for fish, wildlife and habitat restoration in the Skeena region, according to the service.
The Conservation Officer Service and Environment and Climate Change Canada investigation was launched after climate change officers travelling along Highway 16 noticed a spray truck on the CN Rail tracks discharging a mist from the front and rear spray booms of the vehicle.
CN Rail is mandated to comply with the pest management act, including the requirement to have a Pesticide Use Notice Confirmation and the associated plan, which requires public consultation and First Nations engagement.
Pesticide applications conducted by any party in B.C. may be inspected for compliance.
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