2026 OHS Fines Scorecard (June 15 to July 15)
Total reported Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) fine numbers and fine amounts are still below the levels where they were a year ago at this time. However, the gap is slowly beginning to close. The most recent reporting period of June 15 to July 15 was the biggest of 2026. That’s the second month in a row in which year highs were reached. There were 17 significant OHS fines, that is, fines of $25,000 or more, this month, the same as last month albeit for higher dollar amounts. Total fines for the year now stand at 72, as compared to 99 through mid-July 2025.
Fine amounts for mid-June to mid-July hit highs for the year. Fine dollars for the month were $2,575,300, the biggest monthly total of 2026. Still, to put things into perspective, total OHS fine dollars for the year are at $8.893 million, which is just barely above half of the $17.324 total through seven reporting months of 2025.
At $151,488, mid-June to mid-July also posted the year’s largest average fine. Again, that’s about 15% below the average of $173,241 at the same time in 2025. However, those disparities are less pronounced than they were for the first five months of the year. In other words, after an unusually slow start, 2026 enforcement activity is rebounding to more normal long-term levels.
Table 1. OHS Fines in 2026 At A Glance (through July 15)
| Period | Total Reported Fines | Reported 6-Figure Fines | Total Fines Value (in millions of dollars) | Average Fine Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January to Mid-February | 12 | 7 | $1.540 | $128,333 |
| Mid-February to Mid-March | 4 | 2 | $0.358 | $89,500 |
| Mid-March to Mid-April | 11 | 1 | $0.726 | $66,000 |
| Mid-April to mid-May | 11 | 5 | $1.398 | $127,100 |
| Mid-May to mid-June | 17 | 12 | $2.296 | $135,070 |
| Mid-June to mid-July | 17 | 10 | $2.575 | $151,488 |
| YTD Total | 72 | 37 | $8.893 | $123,518 |
Source: Bongarde
Six-Figure OHS Fines
There were 10 OHS fines of at least $100,000 this month. The main reason for the year-to-year disparity in fine volume and amounts has been attributable to the inexplicable lack of reported OHS fines from Alberta during the first four months of 2026. Since mid-May, Alberta has resumed its normal role as one of Canada’s leading sources of significant OHS fines. From mid-June to mid-July, Alberta reported three fines of six figures. Only Ontario reported more with five. British Columbia and Nunavut accounted for the other two six figure fines. Year to date, 37 of the 72 reported OHS fines are in the six figures, a ratio that’s more in line with historic patterns.
Five of this month’s reported fines were among the 12 biggest OHS fines for the whole year. BC reported the largest OHS fine of not just the period but all of 2026, $624,051 in administrative monetary penalties against a global hotel management company with over $8 billion in annual revenues. The trouble began when WorkSafeBC inspectors spotted asbestos, mould, and paint containing lead at one of the firm’s hotel renovation site. Nunavut dished out the second highest fine, $276,000, against Qulliq Energy Corporation for failing to de-energize equipment resulting in an electrician’s fatal electrocution.
British Columbia continues to impose the highest OHS penalties in Canada, accounting for the year’s three biggest fines and four of the Top 12. Ontario has also dished out four Top 12 fines even though none of them were high enough to crack the top six. Alberta is represented on the Top 12 list three times and Nunavut once at number six.
Table 2. Top OHS Fines of 2026
| Fine Amount | Province | Type of Company/Incident | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $624,051 | British Columbia | Global hotel operator fined after asbestos, lead, and mould discovered at renovation site. | No fatality or injury. |
| 2 | $521,694 | British Columbia | Retailer fined for storage rack violations. | No fatality or injury. |
| 3 | $460,000 | British Columbia | Excavation contractor fined for criminal negligence resulting in collapse of retaining wall into a trench. | Fatal injury to one worker and serious injury to another. |
| 4 | $355,000 | Alberta | Timber company fined for failing to guard a Canter 4 machine. | Fatal injury to one worker. |
| 5 | $350,000 | Alberta | Building materials maker fined for failing to ensure marble slabs being moved by a forklift were adequately secured. | Fatal injury to one worker. |
| 6 | $276,000 | Nunavut | Energy corporation fined for failing to de-energize emergency generator. | Fatal injury to one worker. |
| 7 | $250,000 | Ontario | Recycling processor fined for failing to guard conveyor. | Fatal injury to one worker. |
| 8 | $250,000 | Alberta | Construction firm fined for failing to secure storage racks. | Serious injury to one worker. |
| 9 | $185,000 | Ontario | Tool manufacturer fined for failing to lockout automated machine before it was repaired. | Fatal injury to one worker. |
| 10 | $182,282 | British Columbia | Petroleum refiner fined for fuel line unblocking operation hot oil spill. | Serious injury to one worker. |
| 11 | $175,000 | Ontario | Construction contractor fined for excavation flood. | Fatal injury to one worker. |
| 12 | $175,000 | Ontario | Metals processor fined for allowing untrained operator to use a forklift to transport a worker who’s not seated. | Fatal injury to one worker. |
Source: Bongarde
Historically, Ontario hands out the most six-figure OHS fines of any jurisdiction in Canada. Form continues to hold in 2026 with Ontario accounting for 19 of the year’s 37 reported fines of $100,000 or more. British Columbia has handed out 10 such fines. While Alberta perennially jockeys with BC for second place in six-figure fine numbers, the province got off to a slow start and remains a distant third with five. However, all five of those fines were reported in the past two months. If the pattern continues, Alberta will likely surpass its neighbour to the west for second before the year ends. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut are the only other jurisdictions that have reported an OHS fine of at least $100,000 in 2026 with one apiece.
Table 3. 6-Figures OHS Fines in 2026 By Jurisdiction
| Jurisdiction | Reported 6-Figure OHS Fines in 2026 |
|---|---|
| Ontario | 19 |
| British Columbia | 10 |
| Alberta | 5 |
| Nunavut | 1 |
| Manitoba | 1 |
| Saskatchewan | 1 |
Source: Bongarde
Overall OHS Fines
Five jurisdictions reported OHS fines of $25,000 or more from mid-June to mid-July. As it usually does, Ontario reported the most fines during the month with eight. Alberta reported three OHS fines, all in the six figures, while British Columbia and Saskatchewan reported two apiece. Nunavut was the only other jurisdiction with a reported fine during the period, albeit for the second highest fine amount.
Table 4. OHS Fines Reported March 15, to April 15, 2026 ($25,000 or more)
| Jurisdiction | Fine | Company | What Happened | Violation(s) (all defendants found liable as an employer, unless otherwise indicated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC | $624,051 | Northland Properties Corporation | WorkSafeBC inspectors observe workers without respiratory protection at a hotel renovation site with asbestos-containing material in the drywall, as well as mould on a wall and debris from paint containing lead. | Failure to:
* Perform hazard assessment for asbestos and lead. * Implement asbestos and lead exposure control programs. *Ensure workers weren’t trained or certified in asbestos abatement. * Ensure negative pressure containment or decontamination was in place. * Ensure hazardous materials were safely contained or removed before work began. * Provide WorkSafeBC a notice of project at least 48 hours before certain work activities. |
| NU | $276,000 | Qulliq Energy Corporation | An electrician is fatally electrocuted while working on an emergency generator that wasn’t de-energized. | Failure to carry out all reasonable techniques and procedures, to ensure the health and safety of every person in its establishment. |
| AB | $250,000 | Excel G.P Ltd., and Benchmark Cribbing, Inc. | A construction worker suffers serious injuries after getting hit and pinned by a panel that falls out of a cage holding the panels. | Failure to ensure that racks used to store materials or equipment were placed on firm foundations that could support the load. |
| ON | $250,000 | Nexcycle Industries Inc. | An employment agency worker using a rake to clear debris from an unguarded conveyor on cardboard baling line at a recycling plant gets killed after being pulled into the machine. | Failure to ensure that the conveyor was stopped and blocked during maintenance work (the employment agency was also fined $15,000 for not keeping the work area free of debris). |
| ON | $175,000 | Ralston Metal Products Limited | A worker being transported on a forklift by an untrained operator falls off and suffers fatal injuries. | Failure to ensure that mobile equipment only be used to transport a person, other than the operator, when that person is seated in a permanently installed seat; the worker operating the forklift was also fined $20,000. |
| ON | $145,000 | Reilly’s Roofing Ltd. and a corporate director | A worker not wearing fall protection is critically injured after falling 11 feet from a ladder at a residential construction project. | Failure to ensure proper use of fall protection. |
| AB | $144,000 | Apex Well Servicing (2010) Inc. | A worker attempting to bleed off air pressure by loosening the bleeder valve with a wrench suffers serious injury when the high pressure causes the valve to release and strike the worker. | Failure to provide safeguards if a worker may accidentally, or through the work process, come into contact with debris, material or objects thrown from machinery or equipment. |
| AB | $138,000 | Fleet Brake Parts & Service Ltd. | A mechanic falls into an open drop pit after being struck by the hood of the vehicle they’re working on and suffers serious injuries. | Failure to ensure fall protection for workers at risk of falling at a permanent work area a vertical distance of less than 3 metres where there’s an unusual possibility of injury. |
| AB | $125,000 | Nutrien (Canada) Holdings ULC | Two workers serving on a site emergency response team doing a familiarization tour of the ammonia rail system suffer serious injuries after getting sprayed with anhydrous ammonia. | Failure to ensure a proper eyewash station was in place at a work site where workers are exposed to ammonia. |
| ON | $100,000 | Moffat Bros. Roofing Ltd. | A worker is critically injured after falling from the roof of a building at a construction project; the victim worker was clipped to the tether rope of a safety line, but it wasn’t long enough to reach the position required to install the final roof panel. | Failure to ensure proper use of fall protection. |
| BC | $75,277 | Pro Builders Supply Ltd./Home Hardware | WorkSafeBC inspectors visiting a lumber yard issue fines and a stop-use order for pallet storage racks with rusted and bent arms, missing locking pins, and sections not anchored to the floor. | Failure to ensure that:
*Storage racks were capable of supporting the items stored on them. *Storage racks were installed by a qualified person and inspected for damage at intervals that would prevent the development of unsafe working conditions. *Instructions from the manufacturer or an engineer for loading, unloading, and maintaining the storage racks were available to workers. |
| ON | $70,000 | Ideal Supply Inc. | A warehouse worker retrieving materials from storage racking gets injured after falling from a ladder. | Failure to provide adequate information, instruction, and supervision for the safe use of ladders. |
| ON | $50,000 | Ridgewood Industries Ltd. | A plant worker is critically injured while removing an MDF board from a machine. | Failure to ensure the machine was guarded to prevent access to its pinch point. |
| ON | $50,000 | Triway Sheet Metal Inc. | A worker trips and accidentally activates the mechanical brake of a pressing machine resulting in critical injuries. | Failure to ensure the mechanical brake press was equipped with a guard to prevent access to the moving part. |
| MB | $45,000 | Frontier School Division | A school worker suffers a thumb injury after contacting an unguarded table saw blade. | Failure to ensure that a machine was equipped with safeguards to prevent a worker from coming into contact with point of operation. |
| SK | $30,000 | Rural Municipality of Montmartre No. 126 | A worker is seriously injured by the explosive separation of a tire and rim while reinflating the tire. | Failure to provide a suitable cage or other restraining device to contain flying parts in case of a split-rim assembly or locking ring assembly failure or tire rupture. |
| SK | $28,000 | WH Wines & Spirits Ltd. | A worker suffers serious upper bodily injury after getting pinned under a vehicle. | Failure to ensure that no worker is required or permitted to work or be under a raised vehicle or trailer unless it’s supported by a vehicle hoist designed to safely support its weight, or substantial stands or blocks and, if necessary, wheel chocks. |
Source: Bongarde