Documents provide insight into cause of 2022 oil spill at Algoma Steel
A recent arbitration hearing is providing more details of what led to a major oil spill at Algoma Steel in June 2022.
According to the transcript of a related arbitration hearing, about 20,000 litres of oil spilled into the St. Marys River on June 9.
In a statement at the time, Ontario's Ministry of the Environment (MOE) said the substance that spilled into the water was 'Morgoil,' a heavy oil used for lubrication of heavy machinery.
“The spill prompted a drinking water advisory from Algoma Public Health,” the court documents said.
“The Community of Echo Bay’s water treatment plant was shut down for 18 days as a result of the spill, ultimately requiring drinking water to be trucked in. The cost of remediation to the company was significant.”
Investigation into the spill is ongoing by MOE, Conservation and Parks, as well as the Department of the Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Charges against the company are still possible, the documents said, while shedding light on how the incident occurred.
“The spill occurred because the oil pump could be switched on and operated without supervision,” the transcript said.
“Consequently, when a contractor left a valve open somewhere in the network of pipes, one of the tanks overflowed, causing the spill.”
A day after the spill, June 10, the company issued new procedures for filling the oil tanks aimed at preventing a similar occurrence.
“Specifically, two persons are now required for the procedure, one of whom has to continually press the button to let the oil flow and the other must stand by the operating tanks to indicate when they are full,” the transcript said.
The arbitration hearing was held to challenge discipline the company handed down to an employee who had violated the new protocols.
Specifically, the union wanted the company to wait to hand down discipline until its grievance is heard, something the arbitrator rejected.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion dies at 101
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.

Majority of affordable homes approved under federal program not yet constructed
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
'Don't be numb to this': Battling despair over gun deaths
When President Joe Biden signed a bill last year to fight gun violence -- the first such measure to pass Congress in a generation -- a substantial majority supported it. But 78 per cent said they believed it would do little or nothing at all, a survey by the Pew Research Center found.
Memphis police disband unit that beat Tyre Nichols
The Memphis police chief on Saturday disbanded the unit whose officers beat to death Tyre Nichols as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with video showing police pummelling the Black motorist.
As Canada's RCMP marks 150th anniversary, a look at what it says needs to change
After years of reports and allegations detailing a 'toxic' workplace, Canada's RCMP says it is trying to evolve, focusing on diversity in its organization and repairing relationships with communities as it marks its 150th anniversary.
Once-in-a-lifetime discovery: Indigenous jacket that may be a century old turns up in small U.K. town
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
How to get over the 'mental hurdle' of being active in the winter
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.
Tyre Nichols case revives calls for change in U.S. police culture
Tyre Nichols' fatal encounter with police officers in Memphis, Tenn., recorded in video made public Friday night, is a glaring reminder that efforts to reform policing have failed to prevent more flashpoints in an intractable epidemic of brutality.
W5 EXCLUSIVE | Interviewing a narco hitman: my journey into Mexico's cartel heartland
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.