$545K in fines for B.C. company, contractor that caused 'major habitat destruction,' DFO says
![DFO fines Chilcotin River Kleena Kleene River Fisheries and Oceans Canada shared this aerial photo with its news release. (DFO)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/6/29/dfo-fines-chilcotin-river-kleena-kleene-river-1-6946519-1719688488785.jpg)
A B.C. ranching company and a contractor it hired have been fined a combined total of $545,000 for causing "major habitat destruction" along two rivers in the central Interior, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The fines against Altherr & Schellenberg Cattle Co. Ltd. and Bayliff Enterprises Ltd. were imposed in three separate court cases, the most recent of which concluded last month, according to a news release issued by the DFO on Thursday.
The federal agency referred to the situation as "a complex, six-year-investigation into major habitat destruction along the Chilcotin and Kleena Kleene rivers."
According to the DFO, the cases involved "the removal of riparian habitat vegetation, infilling of side channels, fish passage obstructions, stream diversion, unauthorized changes in a stream and unauthorized works on Crown lands," which occurred between 2017 and 2020.
"The purpose of the work was to increase available land to be used for agricultural purposes," the DFO release reads.
"None of this work had Fisheries Act or provincial authorizations."
Altherr & Schellenberg pleaded guilty in the first trial of the case in October 2022 and was fined $280,000 for Fisheries Act violations.
Less than a year later, in February 2023, the company pleaded guilty in the second trial. This time, it was fined $175,000 for more Fisheries Act violations, as well as provincial offences under the Water Sustainability Act and the Forest and Range Practices Act, according to the DFO.
The most recent case concluded on May 28, when Bayliff Enterprises – which Altherr & Schellenberg hired to perform work along the Kleena Kleene River – pleaded guilty to federal and provincial violations.
The contractor was fined $90,000, with half of that total imposed specifically "to discourage companies or individuals from earning money when performing unauthorized activities," the DFO said.
Of the $545,000 in total fines, $440,000 was ordered to be held in trust with the Environmental Damages Fund for conservation, protection and restoration of salmon and salmon habitat in the Chilcotin region.
"The court further ordered the company to provide a total of $1,250,000 in bond to remediate the impacted sites along both the Chilcotin and Kleena Kleene rivers within two years, and provide four reports comprehensively documenting work done and survival rates of plantings on riparian land adjacent to the rivers for the next decade," the release reads.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.5346613.1719853464!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
If you qualify for this tax credit, you can expect a payment in your bank account this week
The next quarterly GST/HST tax credit payment is expected to go out this week, according to the Canada Revenue Agency.
U.S. Supreme Court rules Trump has immunity for official, not private acts
The U.S. Supreme Court found on Monday that Donald Trump cannot be prosecuted for any actions that were within his constitutional powers as president, but can for private acts, in a landmark ruling recognizing for the first time any form of presidential immunity from prosecution.
This 12-year-old memorized the periodic table at age two. He's heading to NYU after finishing high school in just two years
Recent high school graduate Suborno Isaac Bari, 12, plans to start studying math and physics at New York University in the fall, but he’s already got his ambitious sights set on beginning a doctoral program.
On July 1, 1916, a generation of Newfoundlanders died in one brief battle
Millions are celebrating Canada’s 157th birthday this year -- as they do every year -- with fireworks, food and family. In Newfoundland, it is a day of mourning for one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War.
This smiling robot has a face covered in 'living' skin
The soft, pink blob stares at the camera with glassy eyes — before pulling its face into a dimpled smile.
Judge calls Jeffrey Epstein 'most infamous pedophile in American history' as he releases transcripts
A Florida judge released Monday afternoon the transcripts of a 2006 grand jury investigation that looked into sex trafficking and rape allegations made against the late millionaire and financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Woman faces charge of trying to smuggle turtles across Vermont lake to Canada by kayak
A woman from China has been arrested at a Vermont lake bordering Quebec for trying to smuggle 29 eastern box turtles, a protected species, into Canada by kayak, according to Border Patrol agents.
You might live to be 100 years old. But will you be able to afford it?
Retirement has historically lasted about two decades, but for some Canadians it is now extending to twice that amount of time as more live well into their 90s and beyond. That's making some rethink their investments, savings, expenses and when to retire.
Canada Day festivities attract hundreds at ceremonies, parties across the country
The Maple Leaf is flying on lampposts, flagpoles and patios across the country as cities from coast to coast welcome thousands of revellers for Canada Day.