Canadian Railway Fined for Killing Half a Million Fish

August 4, 2007 By: Marshall Cutchin

How ironic is it that the same chemical spilled by a U.S. rail company into Portage Creek in Pennsylvania is the same chemical responsible for the poisoning of Canada’s Cheakamus River? “CN Rail is facing a mix of federal and provincial charges after a derailment two years ago sent tens of thousands of litres of toxic chemicals into a river north of Vancouver, killing more than 500,000 fish. The company was charged yesterday with five counts stemming from the August, 2005, spill of caustic soda – also known as sodium hydroxide – near Squamish into the Cheakamus River.” Ian Bailey in the Globe & Mail.