Gio Contracting Fined $10K for Damaged Pipeline

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A TSSA investigation into a 2017 pipeline strike and natural gas leak that caused the evacuation of 30 homes has led a Toronto contractor to plead guilty to violations under Ontario's Oil and Gas Pipeline Systems Regulation (Ontario 210/01).

In September 2018, the Ontario Court of Justice found that Gio Contracting Ltd. had damaged the pipeline and caused the natural gas leak. The company pled guilty and, on December 12, 2018, was fined $10,000, plus the mandatory 25% victim fine surcharge, for a total of $12,500.

"Hitting a pipeline with pressurized gas is a significant risk to public safety," said John Marshall, Director of TSSA's Fuels Safety Program. "It can cause explosions, damage, injury and death. That's why Ontario has stringent laws around pipeline safety, and why we are so passionate about working to enforce them."