Coastal GasLink, contractor deny liability for alleged sexual assault at pipeline work camp
CBC
Coastal GasLink says it is not liable for an alleged sexual assault at a work camp in northern B.C., and instead says any negligence is the fault of Civeo Premium Services, a pipeline contractor which also denies responsibility.
The two companies also disagree about who employed the person alleged to have committed the sexual assault.
The denials from both companies come in written responses filed in B.C. Supreme Court to a lawsuit from a 30-year old woman who CBC News is identifying by her initials.
In her lawsuit, J.M. said she suffered "sexual battery" by an "agent" of Coastal GasLink who embraced her at work without her consent and "fondled, then forcibly grabbed" her buttocks, and "inappropriately" commented on her body.
The alleged incident took place in J.M.'s private office in a work camp about 100 kilometres from Houston, B.C., west of Prince George, in December 2021, where she was employed as an executive chef for Coastal GasLink crews constructing a pipeline.
The $6.6-billion Coastal GasLink pipeline will carry natural gas 670 kilometres from northeastern B.C. to a $40-billion LNG export project in Kitimat.
J.M. claims Coastal GasLink and Civeo failed to "screen for suitability [their] agents, employees and guests, especially in light of the remote nature of the work site and prevalence of sexual violence at such remote work sites" and is suing both companies for negligence and damages.
None of the claims have been proven in court.
In separate written responses filed to the B.C. Supreme Court this month, both Coastal GasLink and Civeo ask that the case be dismissed.
Civeo stated that while J.M. had reported an alleged incident of sexual assault and asked for a video camera to be installed in her office, she did not initially provide the name of her alleged assailant.
"Civeo was therefore … unable to investigate further," according to the court filing.
When J.M. did later name her alleged assailant, the contractor said it investigated "all allegations" and implemented "appropriate discipline ... if inappropriate conduct was found."
However, Civeo also said it's not liable for the actions of the alleged assailant because they were an employee of Coastal GasLink and "not under the control or direction of Civeo."
In its filing, Coastal GasLink denies the alleged assailant worked for its company, and said Civeo waited four months before informing Coastal GasLink of the alleged incident.
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