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Issue link: https://digital.thesafetymag.com/i/1299031
U P F R O N T F I N E S A N D P E N A L T I E S 8 www.thesafetymag.com/ca ONTARIO CHEMICALS COMPANY OWNER ARRESTED FOR SUBSTANCE VIOLATIONS THE Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested the owner of a chemicals company in Ontario for seven violations against the law. Wister Wei Lap Lee, owner of Genaxx Pharma and Dufore Technologies, was arrested following an RCMP investigation for allegations of diverting chemical products and laboratory equipment to illicit laboratories knowing that these items were to be used to manufacture controlled substances, including fentanyl and methamphetamine. RCMP officers of the Toronto Serious & Organized Crime Unit based in Milton, Ont. arrested Lee on Aug. 27 and executed search warrants at his residence and at facilities used by Genaxx Pharma and Dufore Technologies. Four hundred barrels of chemicals and lab equipment were seized by police. The 38-year-old from Markham, Ont. was charged with: the sale of chemical products knowing they will be used to produce fentanyl, a controlled substance, contrary to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; possession for the purpose of sale anything that will be used to produce a controlled substance, contrary to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; illegal Importation of Class A precursors contrary to the Precursor Control Regulations; possession of Proceeds of Crime, contrary to the Criminal Code; offer to transfer restricted firearms when not authorized, contrary to the Criminal Code; attempt to possess a firearm for the purpose of trafficking, contrary to the Criminal Code; and breach of Prohibition Order, contrary to the Criminal Code. Also charged was 29-year-old Sean Curtis McDonald of Toronto for offering to transfer restricted firearms when not authorized, contrary to the Criminal Code. "The success of the investigation is due to the diligent efforts of the RCMP officers, analysts, outreach personnel and the efforts of our partners. The diversion of chemicals for the illegal production of fentanyl or other illegal synthetic drugs poses a danger to our society. There is a marked disregard for the wellness of individuals in the profit-driven crime of chemical product diversion," says Inspector Marwan Zogheib, OIC of the Toronto West RCMP Serious and Organized Crime Unit. "The illegal firearms acquisition by criminals is of particular concern and it increases the propensity for violence. Our communities and our environment face the additional risks due to the illegal dumping of the hazardous waste from clandestine laboratories." Along with the pandemic, Canada is also currently in the middle of an opioid crisis. According to a Health Canada report from 2016, the country saw about 2,458 opioid deaths that year, with numbers remaining high in recent years. This has notably been an issue in corrections facilities, where correctional officers fear that fentanyl use by prisoners is putting the workers at greater risk. In their paper, "Fentanyl Behind Bars: The Implications of Synthetic Opiates for Prisoners and Correctional Officers," researchers Sandra Bucerius and Kevin Haggerty found that an estimated 85 per cent to 90 per cent of male prisoners and 90 per cent to 100 per cent of female prisoners had substance abuse issues. Alberta firm Parkland Fuel Corporation fined $187K In November 2018, a worker at a residential property in Chesley, Ont. was burned on a worksite. The incident occurred when two workers were delivering liquid propane tanks to the residence. As one worker filled up the propane tanks, the other observed the pump in the cabinet of the tank truck. According to the MOL, "When the worker who was filling the tanks was filling a second one, the physical connection was not done properly and the nozzle blew off the propane tank, spraying liquid propane into the air." The gas ignited, setting the worker's clothes on fire. "The diversion of chemicals for the illegal production of fentanyl or other illegal synthetic drugs poses a danger to our society." Inspector Marwan Zogheib, OIC of the Toronto West RCMP Serious and Organized Crime Unit Drilling rig company pleads guilty after worker fall Drilling rig company Bonanza Drilling was fined $50,000 after pleading guilty to one count under The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996 in Rosetown Provincial Court in Saskatchewan. On Aug. 13, the Brooks, Alta.-based company pleaded guilty to contravening clause 12(a) of the regulations. Charges stem from a Feb. 17, 2018 incident near Herschel, Sask., where a worker sustained serious injuries after falling from a walkway while cleaning a rig. The company was fined $35,714.28 plus a surcharge of $14,285.72. One other charge was withdrawn. Worker fatally injured in forestry operation Western Forest Products Inc., an integrated forest management company, has been fined $73,266.29 following the death of a worker during a forestry operation at Quatse Lake, B.C. The incident occurred when workers had been operating a yarder in an attempt to fall a dangerous tree. While doing this, an adjacent hemlock tree became uprooted and the top of the tree struck a faller, fatally injuring them. WorkSafeBC determined that "falling work had not been adequately planned, coordinated, and managed, to take into account the risks associated with multiple fallers and equipment operators."