The issue of fuel storage and safety in our city hit the headlines with a terrifying and tragic bang in August 2008. Nearly two years after the Sunrise Propane explosion in Downsview, we've seen a handful of inconsequential reviews, few discussions promising change, and no real results.
The importance of this urban safety issue cannot be allowed to fizzle out. The Office of the Fire Marshal released its report this week on the explosion and determined the cause of the blast to be a leak during a prohibited tank-to-tank transfer. Few details have been officially released on the Fire Marshal's recommendations stemming from the investigation. What little has been reported suggests toughening up regulations on equipment use, handling and monitoring, but little or no directive in strengthening the industry-run regulatory regime. The report also says the Sunrise facility met the current setback standards from residential areas, but consideration needs to be given to a variety of factors, including the volume of combustible gas stored on site, when determining site approval criteria. With the investigation now closed, it's time for some definitive and meaningful change. The power to do so lies in the hands of the province, as it sets the rules for fuel safety and oversees the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) - a body run by industry officials whose regulatory activity is funded by the propane industry. But despite criticisms that the authority has been lax in its enforcement and has allowed safety standards to decline, and despite calls for the province to assume full control of the TSSA, there have been limited moves made by the government to address either issue.We need a regulatory regime with teeth. We need the Fire Marshal's recommendations for more stringent regulations to be legislated. And we need a comprehensive review, cost analysis and plan for setbacks for these facilities, including steps to mitigate any risk existing sites may pose to their neighbours.As the province sits idly on its hands, we turn to the group of Toronto's mayoral hopefuls. Though the city is limited in what changes it can affect, the new administration could collectively get behind an aggressive lobbying effort and work with the province to make our city safer. Mayoral candidates need to recognize this as a potential election issue with teeth and champion a strategy to restore the public's confidence in fuel storage safety in our city.