Province soaks trucking company for delayed response to fuel spill

A trucking company and its director were fined a total of $30,000 for failing to notify the provincial environment ministry of a highway fuel spill outside Thunder Bay in 2022, and for not taking steps in clean it up.

Able Staffing Solutions, a cross-Canada trucking operation, was convicted of one violation under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), fined $25,000 plus a victim fine surcharge (VFS) of $6,250 and given 12 months to pay.

Mohamed A. Hashi, a director and officer of the company, was convicted of one violation under the EPA, fined $5,000 plus the victim fine surcharge of $1,250 and given 12 months to pay.

A provincial news release said the conviction against Hashi is for failing to notify the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks of a spill and following the remedial actions to be taken.

The company was convicted in court in Thunder Bay on Aug. 23. The ministry issued a news release on Nov. 21.

The ministry did not specify where the company is headquartered nor on what highway the collision and spill occurred.

According to the release, on Feb. 19, 2022, a transport truck owned and operated by the company was involved in a single motor vehicle collision in Shuniah Township, outside Thunder Bay. 

Both saddle fuel tanks on the truck were ruptured during the collision. An estimated 400 to 800 litres of diesel fuel was spilled onto the highway and the adjacent embankment.

Police responded to the scene and the driver stated that he had contacted Hashi to advise him of the collision. Police subsequently notified the ministry of the spill.

After making several attempts to contact Hashi, the ministry eventually spoke with Hashi and advised him of the company’s obligation to report the spill to the ministry, including specific details about remedial actions that were to be taken.

Hashi contacted the company’s insurer to report the spill, however, remedial actions were not taken to clean up the spill until June 2022 after the ministry had commenced an investigation.

Neither Hashi nor any other representative of the company followed up with the insurer to ensure the required remediation work was being completed, nor were any details about the remediation work provided to the ministry as required.

The ministry’s environmental investigations and enforcement branch investigated and laid charges, which resulted in the convictions.