If You Own an Underground Oil Tank: New regulations require all underground tanks to be registered
with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) by May 1,
2002 or fuel oil will not be delivered to the tank. See registration
application form [in .pdf format*] Old, underground tanks are very likely to leak. Oil leaking from underground tanks will contaminate soil and
groundwater and result in expensive
environmental clean-up costs! Underground tanks are required to be upgraded with specific leak
and spill prevention equipment or removed.
Upgrading requirements for underground tanks depend on the age of
the tank (see table below).from corrosion are required to be
removed by October 1, 2006.
Underground tanks with a storage capacity greater than 5 000
litres will need to be leak tested annually. Unused underground tanks are required to be removed and any
contamination cleaned.
Age of Underground Tank System in Years from Date of
Installation
Date to Remove or Upgrade Underground Tanks
25 and more, or unknown
October 1, 2006
20-24
October 1, 2007
10-19
October 1, 2008
0-9
October 1, 2009
The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) is an independent, not-for-profit organization responsible for the delivery of a range of safety services. This includes the administration of Ontario's Technical Standards & Safety Act, 2000 within various industry sectors and the delivery of safety programs to the public.
For inquiries, please visit our website at www.tssa.org or contact Richard Lebel 416-325-2081, Theresa Coombes 416-325-1615 or our toll-free line 1-877-682-TSSA (8772).
You Asked ...
Q. What is an underground oil tank?
A. An underground oil tank is a container that is buried and contains fuel oil to be used in appliances, such as furnaces and boilers. Tanks that are in basements are not considered underground tanks.
Q. How can I tell if my underground tank is leaking? A. Because they are buried, it is difficult to tell if the tank is leaking. Some underground tanks may leak for years with very without owners realizing it. If your oil consumption suddenly goes up your tank may have sprung a large leak!
There are companies that test underground tanks for leaks. Call your fuel supplier to help you find underground tank testing companies.
Q. What do I do if my underground tank is leaking? A. Call a TSSA registered fuel oil contractor to help you find and stop the leak and clean up any leaked fuel oil. You are also required to call the Spills Action Centre of the Ministry of Environment at 1-800 -268-6060. Your insurance company may also be able to assist you.
Q. Who are TSSA Registered Contractors? A. By law, all contractors working on fuel oil equipment such as underground tanks are required to be registered with TSSA. Persons repairing, installing, removing and servicing fuel oil underground tanks are also required to be trained and certified as a "Petroleum Equipment Mechanic 2." Your fuel supplier may be able to refer you to some good TSSA registered fuel oil contractors.
Q. How do I register my underground tank? A. By completing the Underground Fuel Oil Application Form and returning it to TSSA, your tank will become registered. A registration number will be assigned to your tank that you can give to your fuel distributor to ensure uninterrupted fuel supply.
Q. How do I remove my underground tank? A. Underground tanks are required to be removed by TSSA registered fuel oil contractors. When you call a contractor, ask for the TSSA registration number.
When an underground tank is removed, the soil around the tank must be assessed for contamination and all contamination cleaned.
Q. I have an underground tank that I am no longer using, what should I do? A. Once an underground tank stops being used, or where it hasn't been used in two years the underground tank is required to be removed and all contaminated soil cleaned.
Q. Is there any government funds for homeowners upgrading or removing their underground tanks? A. Currently, owners of underground tanks are responsible for the costs of maintaining, upgrading, and removing their underground tank and for cleaning up contamination. Some fuel suppliers may have special financing programs to help you in replacing the underground tank with an aboveground tank.
In addition to obtaining a written quotation certificate for all
legal costs including both fees and legal disbursement, there are
three questions that should be asked when shopping for a lawyer.
1. What percentage of the lawyer's work is residential real
estate (not commercial real estate or other types of law?
Note: If the answer is less than 90%, keep looking since this is
the age of specialization and efficiency (getting the best service
at a competitive cost). If the lawyer's work is at 90% focused on
the subject matter you can reasonably assured that he also has law
clerks and secretaries who are concentrating 100% on residential
real estate which will enhance a client's ability to address any
possible issues and get the job done, particularly if special
problems arise when processing the real estate transaction through
to its ultimate conclusion (getting a key for the purchaser and
closing funds for the Vendor on closing day).
2. Is the lawyer's office ready to close the transaction
ELECTRONICALLY?
Note: This can be an important concern since (by September, 2001);
the entire area surrounding Metro Toronto (including
Hamilton-Wentworth, Halton, Peel, York Region and Durham Region)
will have electronic land registration capabilities in the
applicable Land Registry Offices. (Toronto properties will not be
capable of electronic registration until about 2003). If the
property being bought or sold can be registered electronically and
the lawyer's office is equipped to close electronically, the
client's advantage is that the lawyer will be able to get a key(for
purchaser) or closing funds (for vendor) much earlier on the closing
day than was traditionally the case when the lawyer would have had
to travel to the registry office and get into a time consuming
line-up in order to complete the purchase/sale on the day of closing
(which typically would result in key or closing funds not being
available to clients until about 5 p.m. on the closing day). Think
about it! Is the lawyer's office ready to close electronically?
3. Does the lawyer automatically arrange and obtain title
insurance for all purchasers (the cost of which is included in the
written quotation certificate for legal fees and legal expenses)?
Note: The Law Society of Ontario requires all lawyers, when acting
for purchasers, to inform clients about title insurance and its
advantages. The problem is that all lawyers now order title
insurance (at least some of the time) when the lawyer becomes
concerned about a matter regarding an inadequate survey or a
question of title. If the overall total cost of legal fees and
legal expenses is no greater when a purchaser is provided with title
insurance, the question is why not provide it to all purchasers
since such insurance:
a.
is a certification of title that is broader than the lawyer's
traditional title opinion;
b.
is covering frauds and forgeries in the chain of title (which a
lawyer does not cover when giving a title opinion);
c.
is no fault, no deductible insurance;
d.
is issued (once it is obtained) for the entire period of ownership
by the buyer (including transfer of tile to a spouse or to heirs
through a will) for the price that was paid for the house (and up to
double the price paid, as the house increases in value over time
which is something that a basis traditional lawyer's opinion cannot
do).
Title Insurance should be provided to every purchaser and not
just when a lawyer perceives a potential survey or title concern
(particularly if there is no additional cost to the consumer in
overall total legal fees and legal expenses), the concern being:
what if a potential problem exits but is not perceived by the
lawyer, or is perceived, but is not addressed adequately by the
lawyer at the time of completing the purchase.
NEW
SMOKE ALARM
REQUIREMENTS
As of March
1, 2006,
every home
in Ontario
is required
to have
working
smoke alarms
on every
storey or
level,
including
basements.
According to
information
from the
Ontario Fire
Marshal and
as drafted
in the
Ontario Fire
Code, “a
smoke alarm
is required
to be
installed
between each
sleeping
area and the
remainder of
the dwelling
unit. Where
the sleeping
areas
are served
by hallways,
the smoke
alarms must
be installed
in the
hallways.”
In addition,
at least one
smoke alarm
is required
to be
installed on
each storey
that does
not contain
a sleeping
area.
Non-compliance
with the
Ontario Fire
Code smoke
alarm
requirements
can result
in a ticket
for $235 or
a fine of up
to $50,000
for
homeowners,
tenants and
individual
landlords,
and up to
$100,000 for
corporations.
The Ontario
Fire Code
has specific
methods for
determining
what is
considered a
storey in a
dwelling
unit. For
detailed
information
on this and
other
aspects of
this new
requirement,
please see
the Ontario
Fire
Marshal’s
web site (www.ofm.gov.on.ca)
and click on
“Working
Smoke
Alarms: It’s
the Law”,
and then on
“Q&A’s”.
A
grow house is a home that has been leased or bought by persons in the
drug
trade and used as an indoor nursery or hydroponics operation to grow
marijuana
plants. These operations often involve significant alteration to the
dwelling
structure and electrical system, which can compromise structural
integrity and pose
safety and fire hazards. Furthermore, marijuana growing operations can
result
in significant mould growth.
Municipal Obligations
• Under provincial legislation that became effective on August 1, 2006,
municipal officials are required to inspect marijuana grow houses once
they have
been identified and shut down by police.
•
When police inform a municipality that a property contained a marijuana
grow
operation, the local municipality is required to ensure that an
inspection of the building is conducted within a reasonable time.
•
In addition, the municipality is required to take whatever action it is
authorized by law to take in order to make the building safe and protect
the public. This could include issuing orders under the Building Code.
•
Specific procedures and protocols for complying with these obligations
may vary according to municipality. For example, under the City of
Toronto’s protocol, orders resulting from municipal inspections of a
property that contained a grow house may be registered on the title of
the property until outstanding issues have been addressed.
•
Address Information of Known Grow Houses: In response to Member
requests,
TREB has asked the provincial government to facilitate a comprehensive
list of known former grow houses in the interest of consumer protection.
The provincial government is considering this action and has appointed a
working group, co-chaired by the Ontario Real Estate Association, to
develop policy related to establishing a centralized registry of known
marijuana grow houses.
Marijuana Grow Houses - Municipal Inspections
1400 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Ontario
New regulations require all underground tanks to be registered
with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) by May 1,
2002 or fuel oil will not be delivered to the tank. See registration
application form [in .pdf format*]
