By Jacob Fehr

AFFECTED users are speaking out after the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), Ontario’s public safety regulator for fuels, shut off gas to 11 homes and one business in the area last month due to an “imminent safety hazard.”

Dave Martin, a property owner renting to a tenant in the affected area, was frustrated by the situation, which he called “a travesty.”

Contrary to the TSSA’s claim to have notified affected houses before last Christmas, Mr. Martin said he, his tenant, and some other affected residents did not know they would lose the use of gas for heating until officials arrived to disconnect their houses.

“I’ll guarantee we never got no warning,” he said. “I was pissed at ’em when they were here.”

Furthermore, he said the TSSA told him it would not turn off gas to his property in 2023, and he received no communication from the organization between then and the shutoff.

He emphasized that his property and others were disconnected between approximately 6 and 9 p.m., leaving residents, some of whom are seniors, little time to find alternative heat sources amid frigid temperatures as low as -15°C. His tenant was “living at the Comfort Inn because he [had] no heater” at home.

For Mr. Martin, securing alternative heating for his tenant took 10 days and cost around $3,000. He estimated the issue cost his tenant $800.

Overall, he’s unhappy with how the TSSA handled the situation.

“The A in TSSA stands for authority, and they know how to use it,” he said.

“They couldn’t even wait until the morning.”

Melanie Doerksen and Tom Wilson, owners of Charlotteville Brewing Company, said the TSSA shut off gas at their home and business around 1 p.m. on January 9. Ms. Doerksen said a TSSA officer told her they called her business the night before between 9 and 9:30 p.m. to let her know they would permanently shut off the gas the next day, but “nobody called our home beforehand to alert us.”

After arriving at her home, TSSA officers handed her a letter stating that the pipeline providing gas to the house, which was operated by Bayview Explorations Ltd., “[had] become an immediate hazard to the public.” They explained the situation and proceeded to cap and lock the line.

On January 13, the couple received another letter from the TSSA containing little new information. They haven’t received any other communications from the TSSA regarding the shutoff, but they did speak with the organization about converting their boiler to be compatible with propane. Ms. Doerksen said they initially heard the TSSA was six to 10 weeks behind in processing field applications.

“After asking if there was anything they could do given the situation, they agreed to expedite both our application and the subsequent testing, which helped us get operational again. We were finally able to start brewing again on [January 29].”

The whole experience was sudden, arduous, and costly for the couple. They said the economic burden of resolving the issue has threatened the existence of their brewery.

“As a small business, the unexpected financial strain placed on us, both personally and professionally, has been overwhelming… The costs incurred have exceeded $30,000: $20,000 for the business and $10,000 for our home. To manage these expenses within such a short timeframe, we have been compelled to refinance our home. If we are unable to recover from this financial burden in the coming months, we may be forced to cease operations,” Ms. Doerksen said.

And it’s not just themselves they’re worried about.

“One of the most significant consequences of this potential outcome is the impact on our eight employees and their families, who rely on us for their livelihoods.”

The business owners approached Norfolk County Mayor Amy Martin and MPP Bobbi Ann Brady for help. Mr. Martin also said he spoke to MPP Brady. Both politicians contacted the TSSA and

provincial government.

“Their primary focus was to understand the rationale behind displacing residents in January, during some of the coldest weather we’ve seen in years,” Ms. Doerksen said.

Government responds to Norfolk mayor

Todd McCarthy, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, responded to Mayor Martin in a letter reiterating that it was necessary for the TSSA to shut off gas supplied by Bayview Explorations.

“While I understand the significant challenges faced by the community and the disruption it has caused, ensuring public safety remains my utmost priority. My ministry is aware of the safety hazards posed by the Bayview natural gas distribution system and the [TSSA] acted swiftly to protect the community by shutting off the gas to affected homes and businesses,” Minister McCarthy said.

“Additionally, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is working diligently to secure the wells. These measures are crucial to ensuring the safety and well-being of residents and preventing any potential gas-related emergencies.”

“Lack of capable ownership and oversight” at Bayview Explorations

In his letter, the Minister mentioned that “the pipeline shutdown is expected to be permanent due to the lack of capable ownership and oversight.” The TSSA said Bayview Explorations’ “distribution system had some safety orders… [and] there have been outstanding orders for some time.”

Bayview Explorations is owned by Peter Krul, the company’s president. Two sources told the Maple Leaf that Mr. Krul lives in a nursing home and can no longer run his business. As he cannot operate it, sources said his wife, Mirasol Krul, sought someone to buy or help run it. One interested party was Mark Rose, who said Mr. Krul bought Bayview’s gas wells from his family 30 years ago.

Mr. Rose explained he assisted Bayview two years ago after the company was notified of work needed to bring its gas wells “up to code.” However, the owners could not pay him, so he did not complete the work. He also said complications regarding Bayview’s ownership prevented him or anyone else from acquiring the company. But after learning it has significant debt, he was only interested in its gas well licences.

In his opinion, “the way TSSA went about this… is totally ignorant.”

“There was nothing there to help [those affected] out with heat to their homes,” he said. “They did nothing. They just came in, shut them off, and that was it.”

He said the TSSA “could have fixed the one line that was leaking the worst,” and could have been “checking on [affected residents’] well-being.”

Nonetheless, he agreed with the organization’s assessment that Bayview’s gas had become hazardous.

“If somebody had an old-style furnace where you had to light the pilot, that would have been a catastrophe,” he said.

And he thinks Bayview’s customers affected by the shutoff should have seen it coming and prepared accordingly.

“Everybody knew there was a problem,” he said. “Anybody with any common sense would have been looking for different heat four or five years ago.”

He said the TSSA refused to renew Bayview’s gas distribution licence, and all connected customers were told. In recent years, customers faced intermittent gas and, occasionally, no gas at all.

Mr. Rose also mentioned Bayview’s customers weren’t paying the company for gas.

“They’re blaming the TSSA and everybody but the man couldn’t fix what he had because they weren’t paying him,” he said.

“The people that were really scorned by this were the Kruls.”

Mr. Martin and Ms. Doerksen confirmed they haven’t received or paid a gas bill from Bayview in years. The Maple Leaf could not reach Ms. Krul for comment.

“We’re more than willing to pay, but there’s nobody asking us to pay,” Mr. Martin said. He added that Bayview’s gas was “half the price of what Enbridge would sell it for.”

“It’s hard to pay for a product if you aren’t getting billed,” Ms. Doerksen said. “[Mr. Krul] did all of the billing manually. Meaning he would drive from meter to meter, note the volume of gas used and calculate the bill. I can’t speak for any other Bayview customers, but our last bill was issued in December 2020.”

Customers wanted to support Bayview’s service

Both customers underscored they wanted to support Bayview’s service. Mr. Martin said he once asked Mr. Krul to charge him and handed him money for gas another time.

Ms. Doerksen explained that she and Mr. Wilson paid to keep Bayview’s service operational.

“In the spring of 2022, we had to shut our production down completely for close to three weeks because there wasn’t any gas due to the well not being maintained. Soon after we entered into a new agreement with the owners, that we would pay for the maintenance of the well to get it back up and running, in lieu of making payments. We spent thousands of dollars to get the well bailed and brought up to code, which enabled us to get the brewery up and running again.”

Over a month later, Mr. Martin remains upset with the TSSA for not notifying him it would shut off the gas to his property.

“The TSSA’s lying. They say they gave us a letter, but there is no letter,” he said. “The first we heard we’re getting shut down came at 6 p.m. at night.”

He feels the organization is “running wild” and “not accountable to nobody.”

Ms. Doerksen said she and Mr. Wilson are “confused” and “angry” about the shutoff.

“This confusion stems from a sudden decision to shut down Bayview’s gas pipeline, which was thrust upon us with little notice. We know that this decision was made because the supplier… is no longer able to service their network of gas wells and pipelines. However, this issue wasn’t new to the TSSA—they’ve known about the pipeline’s decline for a few years.

“So, why did the shutdown occur at such a precarious time? Could temporary measures not have been implemented to allow for a shutdown during warmer temperatures, or at least provide advance notice so we could have prepared? A gradual transition or the opportunity to convert equipment and/or appliances at a manageable pace would have been much more reasonable.”

Mr. Martin also said he didn’t understand why the TSSA needed to intervene last month, as he said the organization “read the meters back in 2023” and “knew that danger” then. He questioned why the TSSA didn’t give residents at least two weeks to prepare.

“Secondly, we’re angry,” Ms. Doerksen said. “We’ve been forced into a situation over which we have no control, largely due to neglect and rushed decisions made by two separate entities. This has resulted in significant mental, emotional, and financial strain, and there is no recourse available to help offset the burden in any way, shape, or form. The pace at which this scenario has unfolded is unfair, and we, as consumers and citizens of the local community, are left with little choice but to absorb the consequences.

“This lack of foresight and responsibility cannot go unaddressed. We call for urgent action to rectify this situation—both to alleviate the financial strain placed on everyone affected by the shutdown and to ensure that future decisions are made with proper consideration of their impact on those affected.”

Minister McCarthy said representatives of the TSSA, MNR, and Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing were “actively engaging with the municipality, including the Chief Administrative Officer and local fire department to identify solutions that address the challenges faced by Norfolk County.”

Ward 4 Councillor Chris Van Paassen said the county would assist affected residents to the best of its ability.

Ms. Doerksen and Mr. Martin said they have not received assistance from the province or county to deal with the shutoff.

“It’s one hell of a mess all the way around,” Mr. Rose said.

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Originally published February 19, 2025