The navigating officer of the BC Ferries ship that ran aground and sank in March 2006 has pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence charges in the deaths of 108 Mile Ranch couple Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rosette.
Karl Lilgert is the only person charged in the sinking, although the vessel’s captain and some crew members lost their jobs.
The Queen of the North struck Gil Island on March 22, 2006 and sank in 400 metres of water about 140 kilometres south of Prince Rupert.
Of the 101 passengers and crew aboard, Foisy and Rosette were the only people who didn’t survive, and are believed to have gone down with the ship.
Rosette left behind two sons, aged 19 and 14 at the time, and Gerald Foisy left two daughters, aged 16 and 12.
Rescue personnel and a mini-submarine searched for days, but the bodies were never recovered.
