Canada’s minister of transport, Pablo Rodriguez, has outlined a steep increase in fines for violations under the Canada Shipping Act whereby the maximum penalty has been raised from C$25,000 to C$250,000 ($181,351).
The revised penalties are structured into three levels: minor, medium, and serious. Minor violations are administrative in nature and pose no threat to public safety or the environment; medium violations apply to situations when regulations around pollution response are not followed, but may not pose a large threat to people or the environment; and serious violations are those that endanger human health or the environment, or involve destroying documents or obstruction of authority.
Examples of serious violations include not storing compressed gas in separate compartments from other types of compressed gas or discharging of cargo residues in polar waters in certain conditions.
“We’re serious about the safety of our waters and the well-being of Canadians, and that’s why we’re introducing these amendments and raising the maximum penalty,” Rodriguez said.