Maritimes company, driver, charged in spill

A New Brunswick transport company and one of its drivers have been charged by Ontario Provincial Police in relation to a dangerous goods spill last Thursday at a weigh station on Hwy 17.

North Bay OPP and the North Bay Fire Department closed down the highway between Algonquin Street and Gormanville Road, for about an hour due to the spill. No evacuations in the area were necessary, but the MTO weigh scale building was evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The OPP Orillia General Headquarters Traffic and Marine Dangerous Goods Coordinator arrived at the scene and identified a flammable toxic liquid that spilled from a commercial motor vehicle.

The substance posed no immediate danger and was quickly cleaned up by response team from Sudbury, Ontario.

Keltic Transportation, of Moncton, New Brunswick and the driver, 33-year-old Cory Paris of Lutes Mountain, NB, are charged with the following offences under the Dangerous Goods Transportation Act (DGTA) of Ontario:

1) Improper Placards
2) Improper Labels
3) Improper Documentation
4) Insecure Load

The maximum penalty for a first offence is $50,000 and on any subsequent conviction, the fine can be $100,000 or two years in prison.

Keltic Transportation and Paris are scheduled to appear in Provincial Offences Court, Ontario Court of Justice, 360 Plouffe Street, North Bay Ontario on Friday June 4, 2004.

Keltic officials were unavailable for comment.