The fine follows a rainstorm that dumped 100 mm of rain on B.C.'s Fraser Valley
Trans Mountain Corp. is facing $292,000 in regulatory fines following environmental violations linked to severe weather impacts on its British Columbia pipeline expansion route in early 2024.
According to documents posted by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) on Oct. 3, the penalties stem from issues identified after a heavy rainstorm struck the Fraser Valley in January 2024, bringing about 100 mm of rainfall and triggering flooding along sections of the pipeline. The regulator said it found several deficiencies in erosion control, wildlife fencing, and watercourse management.
An inspection order issued by the CER detailed alleged problems including “questionable response times,” “broken wildlife fencing,” and “a small landslide” near the Sumas River crossing in Abbotsford. Inspectors noted that pumps meant to prevent sediment-laden water from entering nearby streams had not been activated during the storm, while erosion controls and barriers protecting an endangered snail species were all in need of repair or maintenance.
The regulator’s order instructed Trans Mountain to “immediately respond with all available resources to address environmental deficiencies and non-compliances” across the affected Fraser Valley sites. It also directed the company to investigate the “root cause” of the lost watercourse crossing in Chilliwack, including why contingency measures were delayed.
Each of the four penalties—ranging from $64,000 to $88,000—corresponds to separate violations recorded between Jan. 28 and Jan. 31, 2024. The CER noted that every day an issue persists can be considered a separate offence, with a maximum daily fine of $100,000 under federal regulations.
In a statement, a Trans Mountain spokesperson said the company had received notice of the fines and was reviewing details of the decision. The spokesperson stated, “We take our regulatory requirements, including our commitment to environmental protection, seriously.”
The CER said a follow-up compliance report showed that the company had completed the required corrective actions by April 2024, allowing the regulator to close the file.
The Canadian Press reported that the Trans Mountain expansion, which officially began pumping oil to B.C.’s coast in May 2024, has long been at the centre of environmental and political debate. Initially proposed by Kinder Morgan in 2012 and later purchased by the federal government for $4.5 billion in 2018, the project’s total costs ballooned to about $34 billion before completion.
Trans Mountain’s last fine from the CER was in 2022, when it was penalized $164,000 following a workplace fatality near Edmonton.
