2253457 Ontario Inc. fined $100,000 for unlawful deposit of diesel fuel in Etobicoke Creek

August 16, 2024 – Brampton, Ontario – Environment and Climate Change Canada

On August 15, 2024, 2253457 Ontario Inc., a fuel-supply company in Mississauga, Ontario, was fined $100,000 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton. The company pleaded guilty to one offence under the Fisheries Act relating to the unlawful deposit of diesel fuel into fish-bearing waters between February 7 and March 5, 2019. The fine will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund.

On February 8, 2019, Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers responded to complaints relating to a diesel fuel spill in Etobicoke Creek. Officers conducted an inspection at the company’s diesel fuel station on Dixie Road in Mississauga, Ontario. During the inspection, officers observed diesel fuel entering Etobicoke Creek, a body of water frequented by fish. The officers collected samples, and issued a Fisheries Act Direction to the company, requiring them to stop the release and prevent any further deposits to Etobicoke Creek.

On February 14, 2019, enforcement officers initiated an investigation. The laboratory analysis revealed that the samples contained diesel, a substance that is deleterious to fish. Through their investigation, enforcement officers determined that poor maintenance of the on-site oil-water separator led to a system failure, allowing diesel fuel to be discharged through the storm sewer into Etobicoke Creek.

As a result of this conviction, the company’s name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry. The Registry contains information on convictions of corporations registered for offences committed under certain federal environmental laws.

Quick facts

• Environment and Climate Change Canada administers and enforces the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act. These provisions include a prohibition against the deposit of deleterious substances into water frequented by fish, or in a place where they may enter water frequented by fish.
• A Fisheries Act Direction is a compliance tool that may be issued by enforcement officers when there is an unauthorized deposit of a deleterious substance into water frequented by fish, or when there is a serious and imminent danger of such an incident and immediate action is necessary.
• Etobicoke Creek is water frequented by fish, as defined under the Fisheries Act. It is in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario and flows into Lake Ontario, which is home to more than 100 species of fish.
• Created in 1995, the Environmental Damages Fund is a Government of Canada program administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. The Fund directs monies received from fines, penalties, court orders, and voluntary payments to projects that will repair environmental damage or benefit the environment. The Fund aims to invest in areas where the environmental damage occurred.

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