Following a $1-million fine levied in 2023 against an Enterprise Rent-A-Car location in Quebec, a transport company driver has now been fined for his role in the spill of 15,000 litres of gasoline into Bouchard Creek.
Quebec resident and transport driver, Daniel Chayer, has been fined $35,000 for transferring over 20,000 litres of regular gasoline into a 5,000-litre gasoline trap. The incident in January 2021 resulted in the discharge of gasoline into the site’s storm-drainage system, eventually reaching the fish-bearing waters of Bouchard Creek, which flow into Lake Saint-Louis.
Chayer pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Fisheries Act and one count of violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, according to an enforcement notification from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
An investigation by Environment and Climate Change Canada determined that the incident was caused by a lack of proper filling-pipe identification, insufficient supervision during delivery, and the absence of leak-detection procedures.
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In a 2023 statement about the spill, Environment and Climate Change Canada said it occurred “due largely to the negligence of the car rental company.”
Environment and Climate Change Canada says it is an offence to transfer petroleum products to a storage tank system covered by the Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations when the storage tank system’s identification number is not visible.
The rental car company’s service centre is located on Jean-Paul Laframboise Street in Dorval, Quebec.
As was the case with the rental car company’s fine, Chayer’s fine will also be directed to the Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund for projects that have a positive impact on the natural environment.
Related Continuing Professional Development Course
Attend “Dealing with Environmental Emergencies and Spills” on May 1st at the CANECT 2025 Environmental Compliance and Due Diligence Training Event in Vaughan, Ontario.
Register for this course to stay up to date with regulatory responsibilities and growing climate risks; implement measures to increase resiliency and avoid liability; and learn from expert speakers, regulators and reporting agencies. Visit www.canect.net for more information.
