Professional Practice and Ethics & Tort Law

Professional Practice and Ethics (Provide answer by quoting and citing source)

You are a professional engineer and have been hired recently as the chief operations and maintenance engineer of a paper mill near a remote village in northern Ontario. The mill is the largest industry in the area and employs (directly or indirectly) most of the workers in the region.

Upon starting your new job, you review the facilities at the mill and its operation and maintenance procedures. You discover that your predecessor (also a professional engineer) had been operating the mill for several years with inadequate environmental equipment. The mill has been discharging hazardous substances into a nearby river contrary to legal limits. You also learn that government authorities are not aware of the illegal discharges.

You discuss the situation with the companys vice president in charge of Canadian operations. You report to the vice president that a number of environmental measures would be necessary in order to stop the illegal discharge. In your estimation, the measures would require a substantial capital investment in the plant. The vice president informs you that the mill has been earning very small profits in the last decade and that the capital expenditure could not be justified at this time. According to the vice president, the companys head office would likely close the mill rather than spend the money.