When you’re starting to drown between employee concerns, payroll duties and helping your CEO -- HR Insider is there to help get the logistical work out of the way.
Need a policy because of a recent regulatory change? We’ve got it for you. Need some quick training on a specific HR topic? We’ve got it for you. HR Insider provides the resources you need to craft, implement and monitor policies with confidence. Our team of experts (which includes lawyers, analysts and HR professionals) keep track of complex legislation, pending changes, new interpretations and evolving case law to provide you with the policies and procedures to keep you ahead of problems. FIND OUT MORE...
OHS Fines Scorecard (October 15 to November 15)

There were 14 significant reported OHS fines of $25,000 or more across Canada this month. This is in line with average monthly fine volume for the entire year of roughly 13.7 per month. After dipping to  

$106,240 last month, the average fine amount from mid-October to mid-November rebounded to $130,964. However, that's also the fourth lowest average for the year. As a result, average fine amount for the entire year through 11 reporting periods fell for the second straight month and now stands at $159,413.   

Table 1. OHS Fines in 2025 At A Glance (through November 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 
Total 150 70 $23.912 $159,413 

Source: Bongarde

6-Figure OHS Fines  

This month, only 5 of the reported significant OHS fines were in 6 figures. Year to date, only 70 of the total 150 reported fines are in the 6-figure range. To state it conversely, 80 of 150 OHS fines dished out in Canada this year have been for less than $100,000. Until recently, the year-long ratio between total reported significant OHS fines and OHS fines of $100,000 or more hovered at or slightly above 2 to 1.  

One of the reported fines this period was for $759,368, the fourth highest of 2025 so far. Not surprisingly, the fine came from the same province that has accounted for all 6 of the year's biggest fines—British Columbia. On the receiving end was the provincial government. That's the second time this year that BC imposed a monster OHS fine of over $750,000 on itself. The most recent case was a bundle of Administrative Monetary Penalties in connection with OHS violations stemming from a pair of wildfire response incidents, one of which claimed a worker's life.   

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 November 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 

Ontario and BC each reported 2 6-figure OHS fines during the period. The other 6-figure fine in mid-October to mid-November came from Alberta. As is true in most years, Ontario has handed out the most 6-figure OHS fines of 2025, accounting for 28 of 70. Alberta and BC remain neck and neck for second place with the former holding a slim margin of one.  

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

Jurisdiction Reported 6-Figure Fines in 2025
1 Ontario  28
2 Alberta  20
3 British Columbia 19
4 Saskatchewan  2
5 Nova Scotia 1

Source: Bongarde

Overall OHS Fines 

Ontario usually reports the most significant OHS fines per period. But this month, BC led the way with 7. Ontario accounted for 5 while Alberta and Saskatchewan reported one OHS fine apiece.  Here’s a breakdown of all the significant OHS fines from mid-October to mid-November.   

Caveat: 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 and the federal government.  

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

Jurisdiction Fine Company What Happened Violation(s)
BC  $759,368  Provincial Government  One wildfire fighter is killed and another seriously injured in a UTV turnover; in a separate incident, a 5-member firefighting crew is trapped during a planned ignition operation.  Failure to: 

  • Provide proper safety training & supervision. 
  • Implement safe work procedures. 
  • Ensure use of proper PPE and seatbelts. 
  • Provide proper planning. 
  • Ensure effective communication. 
AB $150,000  1686301 Alberta Ltd., o/a McLeod Valley Sand and Gravel  A construction worker gets entangled in an unguarded conveyor drive system roller and suffers serious injuries.  Failure to ensure that the conveyor was properly guarded. 
ON $150,000  Pigments Services Canada Inc., o/a Monteith  An unguarded rotating shaft snares the clothing of a paint plant worker who’s working alone resulting in fatal injuries.  Failure to ensure that the rotating parts of the machine were properly guarded. 
BC  $140,615  ARC Resources Ltd.  A gas well worker is exposed to hazardous fumes while doing cleaning work inside a confined space (an invert storage tank). WorkSafeBC inspectors find multiple deficiencies in the confined space entry procedure.  
 		 Failure to: 

  • Ensure that hazard assessment considered all potential hazardous conditions of the confined space. 
  • Ensure the hazard assessment and entry procedures were prepared by a qualified person. 
  • Create written procedures for eliminating all likely hazards. 
  • Perform pre-entry testing and inspection. 
  • Ensure confined spaces were ventilated continuously while workers were inside. 
ON $130,000  Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care  A patient care assistant suffers critical injuries after being violently attacked by a patient in a high-security forensic mental health unit; 2 other workers suffer injuries.   Failure provide worker proper safety information, instruction and supervision.  
BC $91,646  ATS Traffic Ltd.  WorkSafeBC inspectors observe 2 traffic control persons (TCPs) directing traffic from an unsafe position exposed to traffic.   Failure to ensure TCPs weren’t positioned in an intersection open to traffic flow or the travelled portion of a roadway. 
ON $80,000  Liquor Control Board of Ontario  A warehouse worker suffers a critical injury while operating a lift truck during a training session.   Failure to provide the worker proper safety information, instruction and supervision. 
ON $80,000   KAS Aluminum & Copper Ltd.  A construction worker climbing a ladder to the roof of a house slips and falls 3.6 metres, sustaining fatal injury.  Failure to ensure the worker was using fall protection when at risk of falling more than 3 metres. 
SK $55,000  Brandt Industries Canada Ltd.  A worker suffers serious injuries while operating a forklift without having received forklift training.  Failure to ensure that only trained workers operate powered mobile equipment. 
ON $50,000  AM Wholesale Meats Ltd.  A poultry plant worker operating a pallet truck in the shipping and receiving area gets hit by a falling pallet and suffers injury.  Failure to ensure that materials, articles or things are placed or stored so that they can be safely removed or withdrawn.  
BC  $48,463  Domcor Traffic Control International Inc. 

 

 WorkSafeBC inspectors observe 2 traffic control persons (TCPs) directing traffic from an unsafe position exposed to traffic.  Failure to ensure that TCPs were not positioned in a travelled portion of the roadway. 
BC  $37,548  D.D.E Construction Ltd.  WorkSafeBC inspectors see a construction worker on a sloped roof 40 feet above ground who’s wearing a fall protection harness but isn’t connected to a lifeline.   Failure to ensure proper use of fall protection.  
BC $34,605  Aerial Roofing Ltd.  WorkSafeBC inspectors observe 5 construction workers on sloped sections of an upper roof and another on an extension ladder without using fall protection.  Failure to: 

  • Ensure use of fall protection. 
  • Provide workers required safety information, instruction, training, and supervision.  
BC $26,245  WCPG Construction Ltd.  WorkSafeBC inspectors observe multiple OHS violations at residential construction project related to fall protection, temporary work platforms, roof truss installation, and work near energized electrical equipment.  Failure, as prime contractor, to: 

  • Do everything reasonably practicable to establish and maintain a system for ensuring  compliance at the worksite. 
  • Ensure regular inspections at intervals to prevent development of unsafe working conditions. 

* 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