Finally some answers! The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) has determined that just prior to the explosion that a truck driver was illegally transferring propane from one truck to another. The practice of truck-to-truck propane transfers is prohibited in Ontario because it increases the risk of a gas leak or fire. To add insult to injury, this illegal practice was routine at Sunrise Propane in spite of the fact that they received a warning about truck-to-truck transfers in 2006. In essence the tragedy was inevitable. The only thing that couldn’t be predicted was the timing and the fact that 2 people died tragically and for nothing as a result of this gross negligence and what should be a criminal act. In fact there is now a third death that is attributable to the explosion. One of the residents in the area suffered a fatal heart attack as a result of the stress.

The TSSA sent out an order on Thursday suspending the operating licenses at three Sunrise Propane sites - 54 Murray Road in Toronto where the explosion occurred, 1201 Dundas Street East in Toronto, and 3171 Derry Road East in Mississauga. The three facilities are now closed. As a result there has been further investigation into other propane sites and 6 propane facilities in Ontario were closed. Five have since reopened. A more extensive series of inspections has begun. To date 193 of the largest propane sites have been inspected. The 3,000 propane sites in the province will be inspected by the end of the year. All of this is small comfort to the people who live in the area surrounding the Murray Street facility.

We are all crying out for the heads of Sunrise Propane, but let us not forget about the TSSA. They knew that Sunrise Propane was engaged in potentially lethal activity yet they did noting about it but issue a warning. What is the point of having a regulating organization that doesn’t regulate?