Kiu Yick Trading Co. Ltd - conviction information for 2021-05-18
| Corporation name: | Kiu Yick Trading Co. Ltd |
|---|---|
| Address: | 272 East Pender Street |
| City: | Vancouver |
| Province/territory: | British Columbia |
| Postal code: | V6A 1T1 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Sector or industry: | 453 - Miscellaneous store retailers |
| Location of offense: | 160-4840 Miller Road, Richmond, British Columbia |
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| Case summary: |
Kiu Yick Trading Co. Ltd. (KYTC) operates out of the Chinatown area of Vancouver and imports dried goods for customers in the Lower Mainland, while also operating as a bookstore.
Wildlife Officers from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) received a notification from Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) that Kiu Yick had imported shark fins into Canada that were declared as a non-protected species and subsequently conducted an inspection. The lead officer identified 18 boxes in the shipment that they believed were in fact a protected species of shark. The fins were sampled and taken to the Pacific and Yukon Laboratory for Environmental Testing, where it was determined that a significant proportion of the sampled fins belonged to a protected species of shark, namely the Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis). As a result of the testing, 13 of the detained boxes weighing 434.4 kg were deemed to contain Silky shark.
Through the investigation, Wildlife Officers confirmed that KYTC were aware of the species of shark protected by the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA) but failed to take appropriate steps to ensure that they did not order any of those particular species. No permits were issued for the import of the protected shark fins into Canada, as is required for any species protected under WAPPRIITA. As a result, Kiu Yick Trading Co. Ltd was formally charged with contravening the provisions of WAPPRIITA. |
| Charges: |
Count 1
On February 9, 2018, Kiu Yick Trading Company Ltd., at or near the city of Richmond, in the province of British Columbia, did unlawfully import part of an animal, to wit, the fins of the Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), contrary to subsection 6(2) of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act, and thereby committing an offence under clause 22(1)(a) of the same Act. |
| Enforcement notification: | British Columbia-based trading company fined $60,000 for illegal import of 434 kg of fins from a threatened shark species |
| Result: | Guilty Plea |
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| Date of conviction: | 2021-05-18 |
| Court level: | Provincial and Territorial Court |
| Nature of offense(s): |
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| Additional details about the nature of the offense: |
| Act | Regulations | Section(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act | 6(2), 22(1)(a) |
| Date of sentencing: |
2021-05-18 |
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| Location of sentencing: | Richmond, British Columbia |
| Sentence(s): |
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| Amount of fine(s): | $60,000 |
| Sentencing details: |
On 18 May 2021, before the Provincial Court in Richmond, British Columbia, the corporation Kiu Yick Trading Co. Ltd. pleaded guilty to one count of importing Silky shark fins into Canada without the requisite permit. The corporation was sentenced to a fine of $60,000, which was to be paid in full to the Environmental Damages Fund of Canada.
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