Braya Renewable Fuels, operators of the Come By Chance refinery, has been fined a total of $118,000 for an explosion that killed one employee and seriously injured seven others.
The fine was part of a joint submission by Braya lawyer David Eaton and Crown prosecutor Shawn Patten, and accepted by Provincial Court Judge Mark Pike.
All were adamant that no fine can bring back the victim Shawn Peddle, nor ease any of the pain caused by Braya’s failure to prevent the tragedy, with the focus shifting to ensuring it never happens again.
Braya and contractor Lorneville Mechanical, which will be sentenced separately tomorrow, each pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to ensure safe work procedures in connection with the explosion on September 2nd, 2022. It was blamed on testing of a valve that led to the release of butane, igniting a so-called “flash fire.”
The devastation was described in heartbreaking detail in a Clarenville courtroom this morning. The shock of the initial phone calls, the fear and unknown rushing to the hospital, and a mother telling her son it was OK to let go with a final kiss.
Those were just some of the unimaginable moments included in a dozen victim impact statements filed with the court.
And while the result was tragic, Patten noted given it was an explosion at a refinery, it could have been “catastrophic.”
The fine includes a $60,000 flat fine for the offence, plus $40,000 to the province for related public education, and a 30 per cent victim surcharge.
The company has 90 days to pay.
Earlier story
The devastation caused by a fatal explosion at the Come By Chance refinery more than three years ago was described in heartbreaking detail in a Clarenville courtroom this morning.
The shock of the initial phone calls, the fear and unknown while rushing to the hospital, and a mother telling her son it’s okay to let go with a final kiss.
The emotion of it all proved too much for several of the relatives who struggled to relate just how much the incident upended their lives.
Braya Renewable Fuels and contractor Lorneville Mechanical have each pleaded guilty to a single charge of failing to ensure safe work procedures in connection with the tragic events of September 2nd, 2022.
Shawn Peddle via Fewer’s Funeral Home
The blast was blamed on testing of a valve that led to the release of butane, igniting a flash fire that seriously injured eight men, one of them — Shawn Peddle — fatally.
His wife Nora, Shawn’s high school sweetheart and longtime partner, spoke of the videos she made every day to catch him up on what he was missing — videos that he never saw.
Any movement was a mountain for him, she said, but he’d still try to pucker for a kiss.
That was until 43 days later, when “the writing was on the wall, and we had to say goodbye.”
The guilt of that decision and thoughts of suicide always lurked nearby, she added, pleading with the court for a maximum sentence in the case.
A dozen victim impact statements have been filed with the court, with more to be read into the record this afternoon.
A date for sentencing has not been set.
