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OHS Fines Scorecard (November 15 to December 15)

With British Columbia yet to report as of press time, there were only 8 significant OHS fines of $25,000 or more across Canada from mid-November to mid-December. this month. The absence of BC fines accounts for the low total, which is far below what had been the previous average monthly fine volume for the entire year of roughly 13.7 per month.  

The average fine amount during the period was $103,125, the second lowest of the year. As a result, average fine amount for the entire year fell for the third straight month and now stands at $156,563.   

Table 1. OHS Fines in 2025 At A Glance (through December 15) 

Period Total Reported Fines Reported 6-Figure Fines Total Fines Value (in millions of dollars)  Average Fine Amount 
To mid-Jan 7 1 $0.684  $97,714 
Mid-Jan to mid-Feb 20 14 $3.689  $184,450 
Mid-Feb to mid-March 9 5 $2.361  $263,300 
Mid-March to mid-April  12 5 $2.029  $169,083 
Mid-April to mid-May  20 6 $2,918 $145,900
Mid-May to mid-June  13 6 $1.565  $120,385 
Mid-June to mid-July  18 13 $4, 081 $226,722
Mid-July to mid-August  14  7  $1,986 $141,864
Mid-Aug to mid-Sept  8 2 $1,170 $146,293
Mid-Sept to mid-Oct  15 6 $1.594  $106,240 
Mid-Oct to mid-Nov  14 5 $1.834  $130,964 
Mid-Nov to mid-Dec  8 4 $0.825  $103,125 
YTD Total  158 74 $24.737  $156,563 

Source: Bongarde

6-Figure OHS Fines  

Four of this month’s 8 reported significant OHS fines were in 6 figures. Of the total 158 reported fines in 2025, 74 are in the 6-figure range. Until recent months, the year-long ratio was at or slightly above 50%.  

None of the reported fines during the recent period was anywhere near high enough to crack the Top 10 for 2025. Accordingly, British Columbia remains Canada’s leader for highest OHS fines, having dished out 6 of the Top 10, including numbers 1 through 6.  Alberta is the only other province that’s represented on the Top 10 list more than once with 2. The other Top 10 OHS fines of 2025 have come from Ontario and Saskatchewan.   

Table 2. Top 10 Biggest OHS Fines of 2025 (through December 15) 

Fine Amount Province Type of Company/Incident Result
1 $783,068  BC  Long-term care facility fined for high-risk asbestos violations including failure to implement an exposure control plan.  No fatality or injury. 
1 $783,068  BC  Provincial Government/High-Risk violations for using untrained and unqualified traffic controllers at music festival site.  No fatality or injury. 
1 $783,068  BC  Multiple storage rack violations at 2 Walmart stores.  No fatality or injury. 
4 $759,368  BC Provincial Government/High-Risk violations related to separate wildfire fighting response incidents.  One fatality and at least one serious injury 
5 $710,000  BC Electrical, lockout, and machine guarding violations at mining company sites.  2 subcontractor workers seriously injured 
6 $674,445  BC Cement plant didn’t get professional engineer to certify safety of equipment that had been dismantled and refitted.   Fatality 
7 $600,000  ON Construction contractor fined for allowing workers to use dangerous and improper crane procedures.  Fatality 
8 $575,000  SK Machine guarding violation by steel parts manufacturer.  Serious injury to 1 worker 
9 $500,000  AB Hot work and OHS program violations by prime contractor resulting in welding explosion at energy site.  2 workers killed 
10 $495,000  AB Crane rigging violation by energy company.  Fatality 

Source: Bongarde 

The 4 reported 6-figure OHS fines during the period came from Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and the federal jurisdiction. Following historical patterns, Ontario has reported the most 6-figure OHS fines of any province in 2025, accounting for 29 of 74. Alberta and British Columbia remain neck and neck for second place with the former holding a slim margin of 2.  

Table 3. 6-Figures OHS Fines in 2025 By Jurisdiction (through December 15)

Jurisdiction Reported 6-Figure Fines in 2025
1 Ontario  29
2 Alberta  21
3 British Columbia 19
4 Saskatchewan  3
5 Federal 1
5 Nova Scotia 1

Source: Bongarde

Overall OHS Fines 

Ontario also led the way for numbers of fines, accounting for 4 of the period’s 8 reported significant OHS fines. No other province reported more than 1 fine during the mid-November to mid-December period. Of course, these numbers are deceptive because they don’t include British Columbia, which generates a high volume of OHS fines each month. 

Caveat: Also keep in mind that not all provinces publicly report their OHS fines the way Alberta, BC, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Manitoba do. Accordingly, these totals don’t account for all jurisdictions, some of which we know have vigorous enforcement regimes like Québec.  

Table 4. OHS Fines Reported November 15 to December 15, 2025* ($25,000 or more) 

Jurisdiction Fine Company What Happened Violation(s) (all defendants found liable as an employer, unless otherwise indicated) 
FED  $260,000  Rogers Communications Canada Inc.  A worker installing an antenna on a telecommunications tower is killed after falling approximately 120 metres.   Failure to: 

  • Provide a fall protection system for elevated work over 3 metres. 
  • Ensure workers used required fall protection. 
  • Ensure workers received instruction in safe use of fall protection equipment.
ON  $125,000  Samuel, Son & Co., Limited, o/a Nelson Steel  A worker leaning into the area between the turnstile and down-ender table to repair a steel coil gets injured when a coworker inadvertently activates the turnstile pusher.  Failure to ensure a guard or shield was in place to prevent access to the hazard. 
SK  $100,000  3Twenty Modular  A wall at a construction site falls and lands on a worker’s leg causing serious injury.  Failure to ensure that: 

  • A hoist, crane, and lifting device, including all rigging, is safely designed, constructed, installed, maintained, and operated. 
  • Workers who assemble, use, maintain, or dismantle rigging are trained in safe rigging practices. 
AB  $100,000  HCL Site Services Ltd.  A worker suffers serious injuries when a trench at a water and sewer line restoration site partially collapses.  Unspecified. 
ON  $90,000  National Steel Car Limited  A worker suffered critical injury when the hydraulic clamps holding C-shaped metal pieces onto flat sheets for welding retract under the machine frame, creating an unguarded pinch point.   Failure to ensure that the machine was equipped with a guard or other device to prevent access to a pinch point. 
ON  $70,000  National Logistics Services (2006) Inc.  A temporary worker operating a forklift doesn’t see a worker and crashes into him causing critical injury. 
 Failure to ensure that material handling equipment and pedestrians were adequately separated by pathways and entry points. 
ON  $55,000  Richmond Street Warehouse Restaurant Ltd., o/a El Furniture Warehouse  A restaurant company worker hosting a social event gets slugged by a customer twice.   Failure to develop, maintain and implement a proper workplace violence policy.  
MB  $25,000  Ital-Stone Design Ltd.  A slab of granite being transported with a forklift falls free and shatters causing serious injuries to a worker.   Failure to provide a safe workplace. 

* BC OHS fines get reported a month late but are included in the most recent period to ensure continuity and consistency for comparison purposes across all provinces. 

Source: Bongarde