New BrunswickMore than half the gas stations inspected by the New Brunswick government this year after a major leak at a Woodstock station were violating provincial regulations that apply to their storage tanks.Minister says it’s ‘alarming,’ though most infractions were minorJacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Oct 23, 2025 12:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesGilles LePage, the New Brunswick environment minister, says the infractions found during inspections of gas stations need to be taken seriously. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)More than half the gas stations inspected by the New Brunswick government this year were violating provincial regulations that apply to their storage tanks.The Environment Department says it inspected 91 gas stations since April, and 47 of them — 51.6 per cent — were not in compliance with the rules.“It’s very alarming, but some of those infractions were — I consider them minor,” Environment Minister Gilles LePage told CBC News.“But they need to be taken very seriously. That’s the message we’re giving out there to others, to gas stations: we’re going to be on the lookout.”Provincewide inspections were launched in April after a spill at an Irving Oil station in Woodstock last December. The adjacent Tim Hortons, closed since December, recently reopened. (Shane Fowler/CBC News)“We need to hit them hard, and we’re going to hit them hard on the next ones who don’t comply with our regulations.” The department said some stations were issued tickets, and others were given compliance plans to follow.WATCH | ‘We need to hit them hard,’ says minister on gas station violations:Gas station violations ‘alarming,’ minister saysInspections prompted by Woodstock leak find rules broken at more than half of New Brunswick’s gas station sites. The inspections, which are continuing, were launched in April in the wake of a gas tank spill at an Irving Oil station on Beardsley Road in Woodstock last December.The department now says that 189,000 litres of gas were spilled, but there was no contamination of water wells beyond the site. Well monitoring continues.Green Leader David Coon called the number of violations ‘quite scandalous’ and blamed decisions by successive Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments. (Ed Hunter/CBC)The adjacent Tim Hortons coffee shop, which had been closed since December, reopened in the last month, the department said in a news release.The 47 violations were administrative offences, including a lack of licences, unregistered tanks and improper labelling.Green Leader David Coon called the numbers “quite scandalous” and blamed decisions by successive Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments, including the centralization of environmental enforcement officers under the Department of Public Safety.That left those officers “disconnected from their legislation, from their departments,” he said.PC Leader Glen Savoie acknowledged the problems predate the Liberals taking power last year but said it’s their responsibility now. (Chad Ingraham / CBC)PC Leader Glen Savoie acknowledged the problems predate the Liberals taking power last year but said it’s their responsibility now.”Government said that they could do it, so do it.” Irving Oil, which the province calls the “responsible party” for the leak, is continuing its cleanup at the site.The company did not respond to an interview request from CBC News. LePage said he would wait until his department’s investigation was complete before discussing what led to the Woodstock leak.“The investigation is still ongoing and very shortly we will come up with what happened, and … what are the consequences of that spill,” he said.“Our regulations are there to protect the environment and the people of New Brunswick, and we’re going to enforce them.” ABOUT THE AUTHORJacques Poitras has been CBC’s provincial affairs reporter in New Brunswick since 2000. He grew up in Moncton and covered Parliament in Ottawa for the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. He has reported on every New Brunswick election since 1995 and won awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association, the National Newspaper Awards and Amnesty International. He is also the author of five non-fiction books about New Brunswick politics and history.
More than half of inspected N.B. gas stations broke rules, province says
