Diesel spill in Barrie's Kempenfelt Bay under investigation
The City of Barrie is monitoring the pond between the Tiffin Boat Launch and Southshore Centre after a diesel spill over the weekend.
On Saturday, Peter Bursztyn was canoeing with his family in Kempenfelt Bay, and that's when he says he noticed the spill.
"I could smell it right away," Bursztyn said.
According to the City, the site has since been cleaned up.
In a statement, a spokesperson with the City of Barrie told CTV News, "Initial investigations included inspection of the storm sewers upstream of the Allandale GO Station and sewers south of the site along Lakeshore Drive."
It continued, "Based on city staff's initial investigation and discussions with Metrolinx staff on-site Saturday, it was determined the diesel spill came from the Allandale GO refuelling station."
Metrolinx said it's currently investigating the source and working with both the Ministry of the Environment and the City.
As a member of Living Green Barrie and a retired industrial chemist, Bursztyn said he doesn't anticipate any long-term impacts from the diesel.
"It floats, and it evaporates so it's on the surface, unlike heavy oil which can sink to the bottom and never evaporate, it just sits there," Bursztyn said.
At the same time, other groups like the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition said with growth pressures around the lake it wants to see better protection, calling on the province to take spills like this one seriously.
"This is exclusively a government ability to prosecute and enforce the law, and if they aren't going to prosecute and enforce the law, then we go back to who is taking care of Lake Simcoe," said executive director Claire Malcolmson.
At this point, it remains unclear how much fuel spilled into the lake and how much it cost to clean up.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.