The Ontario government fined Imperial Oil C$900,000 ($641,391) over a slop oil leak in a reservoir containment area at its Sarnia site in 2021, which had a harmful effect on people.
Slop oil is a waste product typically composed of crude oil, water and solid waste, which may contain various contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide.
According to a spokesperson, the Canadian company pleaded guilty in provincial court on September 16, under the Environmental Protection Act, for an incident on April 15, 2021, in which nearly 1,150 liters (7.3 barrels) of waste oil were spilled.
The spill adversely affected people working at two nearby businesses and residents of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, according to the Nov. 13 court bulletin.
Imperial has 90 days to pay the fine as well as a victim surcharge of 225,000 Canadian dollars.
“We regret this incident and accept the fine imposed by the court. Imperial has since made changes to its equipment maintenance plan by modifying the criteria used to prioritize repairs to mitigate the risk that the same incident is happening again,” the company spokesperson said.
In August this year, Imperial – majority owned by Exxon – was also issued an administrative penalty of C$50,000 ($35,632) over a months-long toxic residue leak at the Kearl tar sands mine, owned by the oil and gas producer.
($1 = 1.4032 Canadian dollars)
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