Irving Oil unaware of leaking diesel until after major spill detected, emails suggest
In a Jan. 7 email, Mallory Gilliss, a manager of contaminated sites with the Department of Environment and Local Government, updated colleagues following a "high level update" meeting with Irving and the contractor the company hired to manage the spill, Dillon Consulting Limited.
"Irving's Operations Group is investigating the cause of the leak. There was a crack in the remote fill elbow and they are evaluating the cause of the crack. They have already identified some discrepancies in product inventory in the week leading up to the incident and they will continue to investigate if this was a process or software failure," Gilliss wrote.
"They will be looking at other Irving sites to see if they have the same vulnerability."
What that vulnerability was — that led to thousands of litres of diesel leaking into the environment without being detected immediately — is unclear.
Interview requests were also sent to Irving Oil Ltd. via email and phone calls. The company did not respond to the requests. In fact, Irving Oil has never responded to CBC requests regarding this diesel leak dating back to its discovery.
WATCH | Minister says the report on the 180,000-litre leak will be made public:
New details on diesel leak come from minister, right to information request
39 minutes ago
Duration 3:43
In the days following the initial discovery of the diesel leak in mid-December of 2024, several locals told CBC News they had already reported diesel in the water supply at the neighbouring Tim Hortons — in some cases several weeks prior to any action being taken.
The amount of diesel recovered from the spill has recently been increased to 180,000 litres.
Highway officials caught off guard
Those same documents also show a series of confused emails from a variety of organizations, including government agencies, who were in the dark about the leak and its potential impacts.
Staff at the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure were surprised at the extent of the cleanup operations. It appears efforts to capture the leaked diesel encroached onto the Trans-Canada Highway — and impeded traffic — without officials knowing or approving those operations.
"The clean-up at [Beardsley] Road has extended on to NBHC [New Brunswick Highway Corporation] property. We have not been notified by anybody," wrote Kyle Wright, an operation, maintenance and rehabilitation manager for DTI, to a colleague on Feb. 12.
An email to Wright from Craig Gallant of AtkinsRéalis, previously called SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., the company that manages that stretch of highway under contract by the province, replied that they too had no idea about the encroaching operations.
"It seems like the contractor for the clean up at the Irving at [Beardsley] Road is now excavating within the Highway ROW [right of way]. Are you aware? We have not been advised of any plans in this regard. Any information the province has for this clean up would be appreciated," wrote Gallant.
Groups in the dark
Following a CBC News publication about the initial estimate of at least 100,000 litres of leaked diesel, several organizations began contacting the province for details about the spill.
Those emails were included in the right to information request. Some came from an enforcement officer from Environment and Climate Change Canada, as well as the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick. Both requested information about the leak and its possible impact on fish habitats.
The department also received calls from nearby property owners worried about their land and water being contaminated.
The day after the initial CBC News report, the Town of Woodstock also requested more information about the spill directly from Environment Minister Gilles LePage and deputy minister Charbel Awad after expressing frustration with a lack of updates from Irving Oil.
"I trust that Irving is following all requirements from the Department of Environment in their remediation work, and we understand an environmental assessment is being done, but given the media reports of fuel found in surface water in wetlands a fair distance away, I think it is time that I better understand the possible gravity of the situation," wrote Mayor Trina Jones.
"As you can appreciate, the media will continue to reach out to myself and my Council to look for more information and although I continue to divert their questions, as recent as yesterday, our community members will expect us to have more information than the press," Jones wrote.
Investigation continues
On May 5, the Environment Department issued a news release stating that an investigation launched into gas station safety compliance — a direct result of the leak in Woodstock — revealed issues at nearly half of the inspected locations.
"The department has completed 30 inspections around New Brunswick since launching the exercise in April," stated the release. "Non-compliances were observed at 14 sites. These findings prompted enforcement actions by the department, including issuance of tickets and compliance plans."
The province has since updated those numbers from 14 sites to 15 sites.
Minister responds
According to LePage, tickets for "minor infractions" at those 15 gas stations total around $6,000. He said stations were selected across different regions at random and included both Irving and non-Irving stations.
He said he can't say what led to the leak and why it wasn't immediately detected.
"The investigation is still going on, ours and also Irving's investigation," said LePage. "We'll combine both and we'll find recommendations, solutions, and more actions probably, after we get those reports."
LePage said he's not sure when they'll be completed, but "hopefully within the next month." He said they'll be made public.
"Everything that I can make public, yes, I will make public," LePage said.
When asked why the Department of Environment did not immediately inform the public about the leak, LePage said its detection on Dec. 15 was close to Christmas break and the priority at the time was collecting the leaked fuel and enforcing department rules governing cleanup.
"We're answering every citizen that requests an answer. Our staff is there to answer questions, the consultant staff is there to answer questions, and of course the company is also there, and also responsible to answer those questions," LePage said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
28 minutes ago
Trump's global tariff pause is supposed to expire soon. What's at stake for Canada?
U.S. President Donald Trump's three-month pause on his sweeping global tariffs is set to expire in just a few days, unless he opts to give countries extra time to negotiate deals — as his advisers have suggested this weekend. Ahead of the deadline, some trade experts say Canada still faces big risks, despite avoiding that round of levies back in April. What the president needs is a bunch of wins by July 9 because he needs to show that his strategy is working, said Inu Manak, a fellow for trade policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, during an interview with CBC's The House (new window) that aired Saturday. On April 2, Trump held up a list in the Rose Garden of the White House and announced what he called "reciprocal tariffs" on more than 150 countries (new window) , including China and the European Union. The rates for individual countries on the list varied from 10 per cent to more than 40 per cent. Canada wasn't on that list, though other tariffs Trump had previously imposed on Canadian goods remained. One week after he unveiled the list, the president backed down (new window) and said he would freeze the global tariffs for 90 days to allow each country to negotiate deals with his administration. U.S. President Donald Trump's three-month pause on his sweeping global tariffs is set to expire in just a few days, unless he opts to give countries extra time to negotiate deals — as his advisers have suggested this weekend. Ahead of the deadline, some trade experts say Canada still faces big risks, despite avoiding that round of levies back in April. What the president needs is a bunch of wins by July 9 because he needs to show that his strategy is working, said Inu Manak, a fellow for trade policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, during an interview with CBC's The House (new window) that aired Saturday. On April 2, Trump held up a list in the Rose Garden of the White House and announced what he called "reciprocal tariffs" on more than 150 countries (new window) , including China and the European Union. The rates for individual countries on the list varied from 10 per cent to more than 40 per cent. Canada wasn't on that list, though other tariffs Trump had previously imposed on Canadian goods remained. One week after he unveiled the list, the president backed down (new window) and said he would freeze the global tariffs for 90 days to allow each country to negotiate deals with his administration. Ultimately, business has to see a business opportunity, Robertson said, adding that the U.S. continues to be the market with the easiest access for Canadian businesses. On The House , Sidhu told guest host Janyce McGregor that Canadian businesses were indeed comfortable dealing with the U.S., but now they're asking him to help facilitate access to more countries. Canada-U.S. trade talks Carney and Trump continue to negotiate a Canada-U.S. trade deal, after setting a deadline of July 21. Hampson said the deadline helps Canada hold the Americans' attention as the Trump administration negotiates with other countries. The Americans also have an interest in getting a deal done soon, Robertson said. WATCH | Carney comments on trade talks resuming: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Canada and U.S. restarted negotiations Monday morning, Carney says Prime Minister Mark Carney says he had a 'good' conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, and that the two leaders will keep working to reach a deal by July 21. The federal government scrapped the digital services tax over the weekend after Trump paused all trade talks. If [the Americans] can't do it with Canada, their ally and their partner, it's much harder to do with Mexico, much harder with China, he said. We should be the lowest of the hanging fruit from the American perspective. Trade discussions hit a roadblock in late June when Trump announced he would walk away from the negotiating table over Canada's digital services tax. The federal government scrapped the tax a few days later and discussions got back on track (new window) . Amid tariffs and falling sales, is Canada's EV mandate doomed? (new window) Robertson said he's a bit skeptical about how far Canada will get with the U.S. by July 21, but adds that Trump enjoys declaring victory even if the agreement is only 80 per cent of the way there. Would we settle for 80 per cent? Be basically there and leave the rest to be cleaned up? I think so, he said. Because if Trump's taken his eye off it and says it's basically there, then that's sufficient from where we're coming from. Ultimately, business has to see a business opportunity, Robertson said, adding that the U.S. continues to be the market with the easiest access for Canadian businesses. On The House , Sidhu told guest host Janyce McGregor that Canadian businesses were indeed comfortable dealing with the U.S., but now they're asking him to help facilitate access to more countries. Canada-U.S. trade talks Carney and Trump continue to negotiate a Canada-U.S. trade deal, after setting a deadline of July 21. Hampson said the deadline helps Canada hold the Americans' attention as the Trump administration negotiates with other countries. The Americans also have an interest in getting a deal done soon, Robertson said. WATCH | Carney comments on trade talks resuming: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Canada and U.S. restarted negotiations Monday morning, Carney says Prime Minister Mark Carney says he had a 'good' conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, and that the two leaders will keep working to reach a deal by July 21. The federal government scrapped the digital services tax over the weekend after Trump paused all trade talks. If [the Americans] can't do it with Canada, their ally and their partner, it's much harder to do with Mexico, much harder with China, he said. We should be the lowest of the hanging fruit from the American perspective. Trade discussions hit a roadblock in late June when Trump announced he would walk away from the negotiating table over Canada's digital services tax. The federal government scrapped the tax a few days later and discussions got back on track (new window) . Amid tariffs and falling sales, is Canada's EV mandate doomed? (new window) Robertson said he's a bit skeptical about how far Canada will get with the U.S. by July 21, but adds that Trump enjoys declaring victory even if the agreement is only 80 per cent of the way there. Would we settle for 80 per cent? Be basically there and leave the rest to be cleaned up? I think so, he said. Because if Trump's taken his eye off it and says it's basically there, then that's sufficient from where we're coming from. Benjamin Lopez Steven (new window) · CBC News
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Almonty Announces Application to List on Nasdaq Capital Market Concurrent with Launch of U.S. Public Offering
Article content TORONTO — Almonty Industries Inc. (' Almonty ' or the ' Company ') (TSX: AII) (ASX: AII) (OTCQX: ALMTF) (Frankfurt: ALI), a leading global producer of tungsten concentrate, is pleased to announce that it has filed a registration statement on Form F-10 (the ' Registration Statement '), including a preliminary short form base PREP prospectus prepared in accordance with National Instrument 44-101 – Short Form Prospectus Distributions and National Instrument 44-103 – Post-Receipt Pricing (the ' Preliminary Prospectus '), with the Ontario Securities Commission (the ' OSC '), the review jurisdiction in Canada, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the ' SEC ') pursuant to the Canada/United States Multi-Jurisdictional Disclosure System in connection with a proposed underwritten public offering (the ' Offering ') of Almonty's common shares (' Common Shares ') in the United States. Article content The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering primarily to fund the development of its projected tungsten oxide facility and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. Article content Lewis Black, Chief Executive Officer of Almonty, said: 'We are pleased to announce our application to list on the Nasdaq concurrent with a U.S. public offering, helping us to secure our position as a leading supplier of tungsten to the U.S. and its allies. As global geopolitical tensions continue to rise, we believe the demand and pricing outlook for tungsten could remain robust for some time. I look forward to continued operational execution in the months ahead as we strive to create sustainable, long-term value for my fellow shareholders.' The Common Shares are currently, and following the Offering will continue to be, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the ' TSX ') and the Australian Securities Exchange (the ' ASX ') under the symbol 'All', and are, and will continue to be, traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and an application has been made to list the Common Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market (the ' Nasdaq ') under the ticker 'ALM'. Upon and subject to receipt of all requisite approvals and the commencement of trading of the Common Shares on the NASDAQ, trading of the Common Shares on the OTCQX will cease. Trading of the Common Shares is expected to commence on the Nasdaq following the pricing of the Offering. The expected gross proceeds from the Offering are set out in the Registration Statement, but the number of Common Shares to be offered and the price range for the Offering have not yet been determined. The Offering is expected to be priced in the context of the market, with the final terms of the Offering to be determined at the time of pricing. Article content Oppenheimer & Co. and Cantor are acting as Joint Bookrunners for the Offering. D.A. Davidson & Co. is acting as Lead Manager for the Offering and Scotiabank is acting as Co-Manager for the Offering. Article content The Registration Statement relating to the Offering has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. The Common Shares may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the Registration Statement becomes effective. The Registration Statement contains important information relating to the Common Shares and remains subject to completion or amendment. The Registration Statement can be found on SEDAR+ at and on EDGAR at Prospective investors located outside of Canada may request copies of the Registration Statement from the Company by telephone at +1 (647) 438-9766 or by email at info@ or from Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Attention: Syndicate Prospectus Department, 85 Broad Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004, or by telephone at (212) 667-8563, or by email at EquityProspectus@ Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Attention: Capital Markets, 110 East 59th Street, 6th Floor, New York, New York 10022, or by email at prospectus@ D.A. Davidson & Co., 757 Third Avenue, Suite 1902, New York, New York 10017, or by email at prospectusrequest@ or Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., 250 Vesey Street, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10281, Attention: Equity Capital Markets, or by telephone at (212) 255-6854, or by email at or Scotiabank in Canada, 40 Temperance Street, 6th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5H 0B4, Attention: Equity Capital Markets, by email at equityprospectus@ or by telephone at (416) 863-7704. Prospective investors should read the Registration Statement and the other documents the Company has filed before making an investment decision. Article content No regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved the contents of this news release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy Common Shares, nor shall there be any sale of Common Shares in any state, province, territory or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state, province, territory or jurisdiction. The Offering will be made in the United States only by means of the Registration Statement. Any offering of the Common Shares in other jurisdictions will be made on a private placement basis in accordance with applicable laws. Any offers, solicitations or offers to buy, or any sales of Common Shares will be made in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and otherwise in accordance with applicable securities laws in any other jurisdiction The Offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the Offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the Offering. The closing of the Offering will be subject to customary closing conditions. Article content About Almonty Article content Almonty is a diversified and experienced global producer of tungsten concentrate in conflict-free regions. The Company is currently mining, processing and shipping tungsten concentrate from its Panasqueira Mine in Portugal. Its Sangdong Mine in Gangwon Province, South Korea is currently under construction. The Sangdong Mine was historically one of the largest tungsten mines in the world and one of the few long-life, high-grade tungsten deposits outside of China, Almonty also has a significant molybdenum resource on a separate property adjacent to the tungsten orebody at the Sangdong Mine. Additional development projects include the Valtreixal Project in northwestern Spain and Los Santos Mine in western Spain. Further information about Almonty's activities may be found at and under Almonty's profile at and Article content The release, publication, or distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which this announcement is released, published, or distributed should inform themselves about and observe such restrictions. Article content Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Article content Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Article content This news release contains 'forward-looking statements' and 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Article content All statements, other than statements of present or historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions and accordingly, actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. You are hence cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as 'plan', 'development', 'growth', 'continued', 'intentions', 'expectations', 'emerging', 'evolving', 'strategy', 'opportunities', 'anticipated', 'trends', 'potential', 'outlook', 'ability', 'additional', 'on track', 'prospects', 'viability', 'estimated', 'reaches', 'enhancing', 'strengthen', 'target', 'believes', 'next steps' or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will' be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the Offering and the anticipated timing thereof, the pricing of the Common Shares to be issued in the Offering, the approval for and timing of any listing of the Common Shares on the Nasdaq, the use of proceeds, the continued listing of the Common Shares on the TSX and the ASX and trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the demand and pricing outlook for tungsten, the Company's position as a leading supplier of tungsten to the U.S. and its allies, and the creation of sustainable, long-term shareholder value. Article content Forward-looking statements are based upon certain assumptions and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause actual results to be materially different from future results expressed or implied by such statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Key assumptions upon which the Company's forward-looking information is based include, without limitation, the absence of market conditions that could adversely impact the Offering or the intended listing of the Common Shares on the Nasdaq; the satisfaction of all listing requirements of the Nasdaq and continued listing requirements of the TSX and ASX; the achievement of any closing conditions to the Offering; and the absence of material adverse changes in the Company's industry or the global economy including interest rates, inflationary pressures, supply chain disruptions, and commodity market volatility. Article content Forward-looking statements are also subject to risks and uncertainties facing the Company's business, including, without limitation, the risks and uncertainties identified in the Preliminary Prospectus; risks relating to the Offering not being completed in a timely manner or at all, including due to unfavourable market or other conditions or factors; risks related to the receipt (or failure to receive) the regulatory approvals required in connection with the Offering and the timing of receipt of such approvals; the possibility that the other approvals for or conditions to the Offering will not be received or satisfied on a timely basis or at all; changes in the anticipated timing for closing the Offering; business disruption during the pendency of or following the Offering; diversion of management time on Offering-related issues; the ability to retain members of Almonty's management team; the impact of the Offering on relationships with customers, suppliers, employees and other business counterparties; risks related to the reaction of customers, shareholders and members of the public to the Offering; and other events that could adversely impact the completion of the Offering, including industry or economic conditions outside of Almonty's control. In particular, Almonty can offer no assurances that the Offering will occur at all, or that any such transaction or transactions will occur on the timelines, in the manner or on the terms anticipated by Almonty. Any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Readers should consider reviewing the detailed risk discussion in the Company's Registration Statement, the most recent Annual Information Form and the amended Management Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2025 filed on SEDAR+, for a fuller understanding of the risks and uncertainties that affect the Company's business and operations. Article content Although Almonty has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results, level of activity, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and even if events or results described in the forward-looking statements are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Almonty. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and are cautioned that actual outcomes may vary. Article content Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. Almonty cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on Almonty's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Almonty has also assumed that material factors will not cause any forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Company Contact Article content Article content Lewis Black Article content Article content Chairman, President & CEO Article content Article content (647) 438-9766 Article content Article content info@ Article content Article content
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
DelphX Announces Closing of Non-Brokered Unit Private Placement
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 7, 2025) - DelphX Capital Markets Inc. (TSXV: DELX) (OTCQB: DPXCF) (" DelphX"), a leader in the development of new classes of structured products for the fixed income market, announces that it has closed on a non-brokered private placement of 2,540,000 units (the "Units") at a subscription price of C$0.06 per Unit, for gross proceeds of C$152,400 ("the Offering"). Each Unit consists of one common share ("Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.08, for a period of two years from the date of issuance. The Offering has been conditionally accepted by the TSX Venture Exchange, and completion of the Offering is subject to the fulfilment of certain customary requirements and final acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months plus one day from the date of issuance. DelphX intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering in connection with general corporate purposes. About DelphX Capital Markets Inc. DelphX is a technology and financial services company focused on developing and distributing the next generation of structured products. Through its special purpose vehicle Quantem LLC, the Company enables fixed income dealers to offer new private placement securities that provide mitigation of spread and capital charge losses when downgrades occur, while allowing for attractive returns. The new DelphX securities will enable dealers and their qualified institutional investors (QIBs) accounts to competitively structure, sell and make markets in: Collateralized put options (CPOs) that provide secured rating downgrade protection for underlying corporate bonds; Collateralized reference notes (CRNs) that enable investors to take on a capped rating downgrade exposure of an underlying security in exchange for attractive returns. All CPOs and CRNs are fully collateralized and held in custody by US Bank. CPOs and CRNs are proprietary products created and owned by DelphX Capital Markets. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
