The Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, today announced that the value of monetary penalties for violations under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 has been increased from a maximum of $25,000 to a new maximum of $250,000.
The revised penalties are structured into three levels: minor, medium, and serious and reflect the seriousness of the violation. 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 minor violations include:
- a Master of a vessel failing to notify the Minister of Transport prior to entering a shipping safety control zone
- vessels carrying dangerous goods not holding the appropriate Document of Compliance
Examples of medium violations include:
- cheating on an examination to obtain a maritime document
- a person possessing a maritime document not issued to them
Examples of serious violations include:
- not storing compressed gas in separate compartments from other types of compressed gas
- discharging of cargo residues in polar waters in certain conditions
(Photo by Louis Rhéaume of shipping on St. Lawrence River)
