Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
Back to profile5 entries
2021
CN fined for pesticide spraying near the Skeena River
Fine or penalty
Canadian National Railway Co. was fined $2.5 million after pleading guilty to violating the Fisheries Act by using pesticides in or around waters frequented by fish. Government enforcement officers had observed pesticide spraying along the rail corridor in August 2017, and an investigation confirmed the pesticides were harmful to fish.
Source excerpt
Canadian National Railway Co. has been fined $2.5 million for spraying pesticides along a rail corridor that runs along the Skeena River in British Columbia.
An inspection and investigation later confirmed that the pesticides sprayed along the rail line were harmful to fish.
2021
CN Rail fined for unauthorized herbicide spraying
Fine or penalty
CN Rail was fined $100,000 after pleading guilty to spraying pesticide without proper authorization along tracks in northwestern British Columbia; the spraying damaged nearby vegetation.
Source excerpt
CN Rail has been fined $100,000 for spraying harmful pesticide over 150 kilometres of track in northwestern B.C., damaging vegetation near the Skeena River.
The railway pleaded guilty on Thursday for failing to get proper authorization to spray the herbicide between Terrace and Prince Rupert in August 2017, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.
The service says in a statement that the rail company was fined $100,000 by the court.
2021
CN Rail fined $100,000 over pesticide application
Fine or penalty
CN Rail pleaded guilty in Prince Rupert court to applying pesticide to its tracks without the required Pest Management Plan and was sentenced to a $100,000 penalty. The Conservation Officer Service said the spraying damaged nearby vegetation.
Source excerpt
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.
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 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.
2020
Jackson sues Canadian National Railway over underpass closure
Lawsuit filed
The city of Jackson sued Canadian National Railway and sought to have the company pay the full cost of reopening a blocked underpass. City officials said the closure created public health, safety and quality-of-life concerns. The railway had said it closed the road over safety concerns.
Source excerpt
City officials and residents of the west Jackson neighborhood, where the underpass has been blocked off, say the closure is both a public health and safety and quality-of-life issue.
The city of Jackson is suing Canadian National Railway and demanding the company pay the full costs to reopen a heavily traveled underpass in Jackson.
The B.C. Supreme Court statement of claim filed Wednesday alleges the fire was set off by heat or sparks emanating from a CP freight train operated by CN employees on tracks owned by Canadian National.
2004
Controversy surrounding the BC Rail transaction
The sale of BC Rail's surface operating assets to CN drew accusations from opponents, including Canadian Pacific, that the provincial bidding process had been improperly structured. The government and CN denied wrongdoing. Related documents were subject to court restrictions because of a parallel investigation involving government aides.