On August 26, 2010, ALS Canada Ltd. pleaded guilty to one violation under the Safe Drinking Water Act for failing to immediately notify the Ministry of the Environment, as well as the Medical Officer of Health, of adverse drinking water test results in a sample that had analyzed.
The lab was retained by a regulated drinking water system to analyze its monthly drinking water sample. The sample was erroneously logged in, without flagging it as a regulated drinking water system sample. Two microbiological analyses of the sample exceeded acceptable standards; these results were reviewed and confirmed on Saturday, May 31, 2008. The lab did not realize that the sample was a regulated drinking water sample requiring notification until Wednesday, June 4, 2008 when they contacted the ministry’s Spills Action Centre, the Oxford County Health Unit and the owners of the system.
ALS was fined $20,000 plus the 25% victim fine surcharge.