British Columbia’s provincial flag flies in Ottawa, July 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

By The Canadian Press

May 7, 2026 | 9:53 AM

NEW WESTMINSTER — Metro Vancouver has been fined about $170,000 after a worker was seriously injured during “high-risk violations” while working on a water main in New Westminster two years ago.

WorkSafeBC says in a news release that it issued the penalty to the regional district on March 12 after one of two workers helping lift gearboxes off a water main valve was injured when one gearbox “released and lifted forcefully upward.”

It says the gearboxes were being lifted out of a confined space using a crane, and the workers were inside the space using pry bars, on March 15, 2024.

WorkSafeBC says it identified several high-risk violations, including a failure to plan and identify hazards before conducting the operation.