Two owners of a mobile home park in northwestern Ontario have been convicted under the province’s Safe Drinking Water Act after failing to meet operational and sampling requirements at a regulated drinking water system serving dozens of residents.
Allan Pizziol and Paula Pizziol were convicted on September 25, 2025, at the Sioux Lookout Court of Justice in connection with offences committed between 2022 and 2024 at the Lincoln Trailer Park in the Ontario Township of Drayton.
According to a court bulletin, the trailer park operates a non-municipal, year-round residential drinking water system that supplies water to approximately 47 residents. The system draws raw water from a groundwater well, treats it, and disinfects it with chlorine before distribution. Routine microbiological sampling and testing of both raw and treated water are required to ensure the water remains safe for consumption.
Inspection findings
At the time of the offences, Allan and Paula Pizziol owned and operated Lincoln Trailer Park. Allan Pizziol was responsible for the system’s operation and maintenance, while Paula Pizziol was responsible for record-keeping and ensuring required samples were collected at appropriate intervals.
In September 2023, staff from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks conducted an on-site inspection and identified several compliance issues. A review of records revealed that Allan Pizziol had performed operational checks and maintenance without holding a valid operator’s certificate.
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The investigation also found that the couple failed to ensure the system was operated by properly trained or certified personnel. Their son, who did not hold certification, performed tasks restricted to certified operators, including chlorine residual and turbidity testing, without direct supervision by a certified operator.
Records further showed that in August 2023, raw water samples were tested for microbiological parameters more than 40 days after the previous sample had been taken, exceeding the allowable sampling window. In October 2022, required distribution samples were not taken and tested as mandated.
The ministry’s Environmental Investigations and Enforcement Branch investigated the matter and laid charges, resulting in the convictions.
Allan Pizziol was convicted of four violations under the Safe Drinking Water Act, including:
- Operating a regulated non-municipal drinking water system without a valid operator’s certificate
- Failing, as owner, to ensure the system was operated by persons with the required training or expertise
- Failing to ensure raw water samples were taken and tested for microbiological parameters within the required time frame
- Failing to ensure that at least one distribution sample was taken and tested for microbiological parameters at least once every two weeks
He was fined $24,500, plus a victim fine surcharge of $6,125, and given 12 months to pay. The court also imposed a probation order prohibiting him from operating any regulated non-municipal drinking water system for 24 months from the date of conviction.
Paula Pizziol was convicted of two violations under the Safe Drinking Water Act for:
- Failing, as owner, to ensure the system was operated by persons with the required training or expertise
- Failing to ensure that at least one distribution sample was taken and tested for microbiological parameters at least once every two weeks
She was fined $5,500, plus a victim fine surcharge of $1,375, and given 12 months to pay.
