Hamilton coal tar plant on Strathearne Avenue fined $200,000 for failing to report a 2023 benzene leak
Rain Carbon Canada Inc., which runs a coal tar and petroleum processing facility at 725 Strathearne Avenue, was convicted under the Environmental Protection Act after provincial air monitoring detected high benzene levels in October 2023.
The details
The conviction
Rain Carbon Canada Inc. has been convicted of one violation of the Environmental Protection Act for failing to report a discharge to the natural environment, according to a court bulletin issued by Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks on October 1, 2026. The conviction was entered on February 26, 2026, in Hamilton.
- Rain Carbon Canada Inc.
- Coal tar and petroleum processing, 725 Strathearne Avenue, Hamilton
- October 23 to October 25, 2023
- $200,000, plus a $50,000 victim fine surcharge
- 30
What the Province found
The bulletin says the ministry was carrying out routine air monitoring of the facility with its Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer (TAGA) unit on October 23, 2023, when it detected benzene levels far above the ministry's short-term, one-hour benchmark coming from the company's facilities. Similar levels were detected twice on October 25, 2023.
The company was legally required to report the discharge to the ministry immediately but did not, the bulletin says. The ministry notified the company of the test results on October 23. The company applied a temporary patch to Tank 6 that day, but the tank was found to be still leaking until October 25.
About the site
According to the bulletin, Rain Carbon Canada operates under Rain Carbon Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Rain Industries Ltd. The Strathearne Avenue facility receives coal tar by rail car, tanker truck and marine vessel, stores feedstock and products in above-ground tanks, and operates under Environmental Compliance Approvals issued by the ministry. The ministry's Environmental Investigations and Enforcement Branch investigated and laid the charge.