Media Release - TSSA Launches Northern Ontario Fuels Strategy (November 28, 2014)
TSSA Launches Northern Ontario Fuels Strategy
New Approach to Compliance Enhances Public Safety and Customer Service
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Toronto, ON, November 28, 2014) – The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), Ontario’s public safety regulator, announced a Northern Ontario Fuels Strategy to assist gas stations and marinas to comply with provincial safety regulations.
Many gas station and marina operators in the Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma-Manitoulin regions of northern Ontario are currently facing financial stress in meeting compliance orders to upgrade fuel equipment, threatening access to fuel supplies in remote and isolated communities.
“Conditions in the north pose special challenges for fuel facility operators to comply with regulations. Contractors are in short supply and the ground is often frozen for long periods, making compliance extremely challenging,” said TSSA President and CEO Michael Beard. “Our Northern Ontario Fuels Strategy will ensure public safety, environmental protection and compliance with provincial safety laws while allowing operators to continue operating.”
Key elements of the strategy include:
- A team made up of TSSA technical and legal experts has been convened to develop a regulatory framework that will allow operators to conduct more frequent tests to ensure fuel equipment is safe, which will provide additional time for operators to develop compliance plans to make the necessary equipment upgrades.
- To assist fuel facility operators in the Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma-Manitoulin area to develop detailed compliance plans, TSSA has established a Fuels Task Force made up of a Regional Supervisor and Inspectors from outside the region, to meet with individual operators to review their site history, orders and invoices.
- As part of the Northern Ontario Fuels Strategy, TSSA will convene province-wide public consultations on proposals to amend the Liquid Fuels Handling Code, which outlines regulatory requirements for gas stations and marinas. The code is currently posted on the Environmental Registry (www.eco.on.ca) for public comment. The posting, however, will be extended until next summer to provide sufficient opportunity for interested stakeholders to comment. Public consultations on the code will be convened in northern Ontario later this spring.
- TSSA will also enhance northern representation on its Liquid Fuels Advisory Council to ensure northern perspectives are considered in its role as Ontario’s public safety regulator.
“By working closely with operators and stakeholders in the north, TSSA intends to enhance both customer service, public safety and environmental protection and assist remote and isolated communities in northern Ontario facing the loss of their fuel facilities to have access to a safe and reliable source of fuel,” added Mr. Beard.
Full media release attached below.
