CN Rail fined $8M for 2 northern Ontario derailments in 2015

The Ontario Court of Justice has ordered Canadian National (CN) Railway to pay an $8-million fine after the company pleaded guilty to causing two derailments in northern Ontario in 2015 that spilled over three million litres of crude oil.

The first derailment was on Feb. 14 near Gladwick, a remote area outside Gogama, and the second was on March 7  in Gogama, around 45 kilometres to the south.

In the first derailment, around 1.06 million litres of crude oil were released into the environment. Some oil entered a creek that flows into Upper Kasasway Lake.

In the second derailment, around 2.6 million litres of crude oil spilled into the environment, including wetlands and the Makami River that flows into Minisinakwa Lake.

Both derailments happened after a piece of railway track broke from the weight of a passing train.

An investigation determined that CN failed to exercise due diligence in maintaining its tracks.

The company has since restored the track infrastructure in that part of northeastern Ontario.

The money from the fine goes into a special fund set aside for restorative environmental projects.

"Immediately following the Gogama derailment, CN established a public information centre, maintained a website and phone line, and distributed email updates to keep the community regularly informed."  said the company in a news release.

"CN employed local members of the Mattagami First Nation and the Community of Gogama for the restoration work, which included creek, wetland, and fish habitat restoration, and revegetation with native species. Post-restoration monitoring shows successful re-establishment of vegetation and the presence of fish and wildlife in the restored areas. CN would like to thank the members of the Mattagami First Nation and the Community of Gogama for sharing their knowledge and expertise throughout the restoration process."

"Following the derailments, CN invested heavily in track infrastructure on the Ruel Subdivision, with a specific focus on the areas near Gogama and Gladwick. CN implemented a number of additional policies and procedures to enhance rail safety, including augmenting inspection protocols and employee training and education on the causes of the derailments."

As a result of the conviction, CN has been added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.

The registry contains information on convictions of corporations registered for offences committed under certain federal environmental laws.