Question Period Note: Fish Plant Fire in New Eginburgh Nova Scotia

Fish Plant Fire in New Eginburgh Nova Scotia

On November 25th the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and local firefighters responded to a fire engulfing a lobster plant in New Edinburgh, Nova Scotia.

Thankfully no one was injured, and the RCMP are leading an investigation into the cause. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has offered assistance to the RCMP, as needed.

• On November 25, 2021, the RCMP and firefighters responded to a fire at the Bay of Fundy Seafood Finest facility in New Edinburgh Nova Scotia.
• As the lead, the RCMP issued a News Release on Friday, November 26th. RCMP investigating fire at commercial fish plant | Royal Canadian Mounted Police (rcmp-grc.gc.ca)
• On Monday, November 29th, the RCMP reported that at that time, they did not have any information to indicate that this is related to disputes within the fishery.
• No one was harmed in the fire. DFO is aware the plant was holding product fished in St. Mary’s Bay over the summer and fall, however, it is unknown whether any lobster product was onsite at the time of fire.
• Chief Sack of Sipekne’katik First Nation issued a statement that his community is not currently affiliated with the plant; however, fishery officers through their monitoring and compliance activities can confirm the facility has held substantial quantities of lobster for the First Nation(s) in past years and over the summer and fall of 2021.
• Two separate Fisheries Act (FA) site inspections by fishery officers in 2021, initiated FA investigations, resulting in arrests and seizures in both. One of the files (October) is still ongoing and will require PPSC approval prior to charges being laid. The other investigative file (August), resulted in charges being laid and is now before the courts – first appearance date for the accused is January 27, 2022.
• DFO has responded to multiple media requests on the fire, asking whether the plant was inspected by Fishery Officers around the time the fire occurred.
• The plant was previously subject to vandalism during tensions between non-Indigenous and Indigenous lobster fishers in 2020.
• The facility was operated by Eric Louis Thibault, whose fish buyers licence for Bay of Fundy Finest Seafoods Distributors Ltd. was revoked by the province of Nova Scotia in October 2020.
• Fishery officers investigated the Bay of Fundy Seafood Finest facility in New Edinburgh, N.S. in 2018 following routine inspections to ensure compliance with the Fisheries Act and associated regulations. The investigation resulted in a number of individuals being sentenced in October 2020 under section 63(1) of the Fisheries Act - for false or misleading statements made to a fishery officer.
• These charges are a matter of public record and Crown Counsel with Public Prosecution Services of Canada is responsible for the prosecution of this and future cases related to this matter.

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