Crown counsel have approved criminal charges against a BC Ferries employee involved in the 2006 Queen of the North sinking that killed two people.
Navigating officer Karl Lilgert faces two counts of criminal negligence causing death in connection with the disaster.
Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rossette both drowned March 22, 2006 when the ferry struck ground near Gil Island in the Wright Sound and sank about 80 minutes later.
Ninety-nine passengers and crew managed to escape from the sinking ferry.
Criminal Justice Branch spokesperson Neil MacKenzie told 24 hours that Lilgert was charged on the basis that the navigating officer is responsible for steering the ship and that the evidence did not support charges against any other crew members.
BC Ferry & Marine Worker’s Union president Richard Goode told 24 hours the union no longer represents Lilgert and hopes any findings made during the trial will bring some closure to the passengers and families involved.
In July 2006, Lilgert and another employee, Kevin Hilton, were suspended by BC Ferries for refusing to testify at a division inquiry about the events leading up to the sinking.
The B.C. Supreme Court upheld the suspension in November 2008.
Lilgert’s next scheduled court appearance is set for April 14 at Vancouver provincial court.
