Kingston-based in-water construction company Inner Harbour Marine Services Limited has been convicted of a violation under the Ontario Water Resources Act after the company did not ensure proper erosion and sedimentation control measures were installed at a work site, according to the provincial government.
This violation affected the quality of the water in the St. Lawrence River, the Ministry of the Environment, Parks and Conservation said.
According to a court bulletin from the provincial government, in the fall of 2022, Inner Harbour was contracted to conduct shoreline restoration and stabilization work at a private residence in Kingston.
“The site is located on a small peninsula in the St. Lawrence River known as Treasure Island. The waters adjacent to the site are within a provincially significant wetland and are a habitat for many species of fish, amphibians, turtles and invertebrates. Prior to commencing work, Inner Harbour obtained permits from the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority and the Ministry of Natural Resources with respect to the proposed shoreline work,” the Ontario government detailed.
“The permits required that erosion and sedimentation control measures be installed before beginning the work. The permits also required that machinery be operated in a manner that prevented sediment from entering the water.”
The incident that led to the conviction occurred in April 2023, when a hydrogeologist with the ministry observed that Inner Harbour Marine had been excavating the shoreline and installing large pieces of armour stone at the site without the use of sedimentation control measures, the government stated.
“Additionally, excavator tracks were visible in the water and there was a visible plume of sediment and silt discharging from the site into the St. Lawrence River,” the province outlined.
As a result, an environmental compliance officer and a surface water scientist conducted a site inspection and observed the Kingston-based company conducting excavation work on the shoreline while sediment and silt continued to discharge into the St. Lawrence River, according to the ministry’s court bulletin. A roll of silt fencing was present on site, but had not been installed, the government stated.
The province noted that the surface water scientist collected water samples from the St. Lawrence River at the sediment plume and surrounding waters. Inner Harbour Marine Services was instructed to stop the work until sediment control measures were properly installed, which they did, the government explained.
According to the court bulletin, it was subsequently determined that Inner Harbour Marine’s shoreline construction work resulted in a discharge of sediment and silt into the St. Lawrence River that lasted for a minimum of 20 hours. As well, the concentration of total suspended solids within the sediment plume was found to be two orders of magnitude above background levels in the St. Lawrence River. It is presumed this refers to the concentration of suspended solids in the plume being 100 times (102) that of those outside the plume in the waters of the St. Lawrence — Kingstonist has reached out to the Ministry of the Environment, Parks and Conservation for confirmation, and this article will be updated according to and upon response received.
The duration and concentration of the sediment discharge impaired the quality of the water and likely had moderate and sub-lethal negative impacts on several local fish species and aquatic invertebrates, the government stated.
The ministry’s Environmental Investigations and Enforcement Branch investigated and laid charges, which resulted in the conviction on July 17, 2025.
Inner Harbour Marine Services Limited was convicted of one violation under the Ontario Water Resources Act, fined $45,000 plus a victim fine surcharge of $11,250, and given nine months to pay.
The province did not disclose whether any amount of these fines has been paid as of time of publication.
Kingstonist reached out to Inner Harbour Marine Ltd. for comment on this matter. No response was received in over 24 hours, however, this article will be updated if further information becomes available.
According to the company’s website, Inner Harbour Marine was established in 2017 and specializes in “stationary and floating dock construction, boathouse design/build, and shoreline remediation projects.” The website’s project gallery shows such work purportedly completed by the company in the past, including a shoreline remediation project much like (if not exactly) the project outlined in the provincial court bulletin. The company’s website also lists dozens of services that Inner Harbour Marines Services Ltd. reports to offer.