Yellowknife (Apr 11/05) - A Calgary-based contractor has been fined $17,250 for violating safety regulations during construction on a multi-million dollar hotel in Inuvik.

Ninety North Construction pleaded guilty in February to letting crews work on Capital Suites, a three-storey building, without safety lines last spring and summer.

In a strongly-worded decision, Territorial Court Judge Bernadette Schmaltz criticized the company for not ensuring sub-contractors used the proper safety equipment.

"(Ninety North) was playing Russian roulette with the lives of its workers," Schmaltz said. "Easily somebody could have been killed."

The company appeared to be more interested in meeting construction deadlines and making a profit than with the safety if its workers, Schmaltz said.

"The guilty plea may have been a calculated cost of the project," Schmaltz said.

An inspector with the Worker's Compensation Board gave Ninety North seven written warnings to make sure safety lines were used.

Paul Smith, a lawyer for Ninety North, said in February the company tried to ensure subcontractors on the roof were properly tied down. But several workers refused to comply with the safety guidelines, which are mandated by the territorial government.

In addition to the fine, Ninety North was placed on probation for two years. The conviction was the first in the company's history.