Montreal police called in to investigate motor oil spills in St. Lawrence River

MONTREAL — Montreal police are investigating how hundreds of litres of motor oil leaked into the St. Lawrence River in the city’s east end.

Oil slicks were discovered off the Pointe-aux-Trembles district on July 11 and July 25, and the City of Montreal says both spills came from a single discharge of motor oil into the storm sewer system.

The administration of Mayor Valérie Plante is asking anyone with information to contact police about the spills, which the city says are serious and “must not go without consequences.”

The city says 19,000 litres of water mixed with motor oil were removed from the water after the first spill was discovered, including about 1,000 litres of oil.

It says there have been more than 160 inspections at commercial and industrial properties in connection with the spills, which ran the length of several city blocks.

The Canadian Coast Guard was involved in early efforts to contain the motor oil but transferred responsibility to the province when it became clear the source of the pollution came from land.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2024.

The Canadian Press