Cleanups must meet regulatory standards, which can be a costly process.

Whether you carry large amounts of materials, or you are the local gas station, you need to be protected. Even as an innocent party, under the Environmental Protection Act you may still be required to clean up instances of pollution. Pollution is defined as any foreign object or substance that does not belong in a particular environment. A substance need not be a hazard to qualify as pollution: it only has to be somewhere that it doesn’t belong.

Cleanup work has the potential to cost millions of dollars.

To fully protect yourself, the previous use of the land you are located on must be taken into consideration. Your business may not have been at fault, but what if a previous enterprise polluted the land you are operating on? Include Historical Coverage to protect yourself against this liability.

What businesses are in your surrounding area?

It is very common for neighboring properties’ activities to cross over onto your premises. Legally you are now responsible for the remediation.

Not only can an owner be held responsible, but any past, present or future director, officer, or person with authority over the management of the property, can be at risk. The Ontario Clean Up guidelines get updated every few years, and stricter standards can increase the cost of compliance.

Your pollution insurance policy will cover, up to your limits, costs resulting from bodily injury, property damage, clean up, and if required, legal defense.