A truck driver and his employer are facing charges after a major hazardous material spill shut down a stretch of the Hanlon Expressway in Guelph for more than 10 hours on Tuesday. According to the Guelph Police Service, a traffic unit officer was travelling southbound around 2:30 p.m. when they spotted a trail of liquid on the roadway stretching from College Avenue West to Downey Road. The officer found a tanker truck pulled over on the southbound shoulder near Downey Road, surrounded by a large pool of liquid. The substance was identified as styrene resin, a highly flammable hazardous material. Investigators determined an improperly secured hatch caused a leak, contaminating roughly 4.5 kilometres of the highway. Because of the significant fire hazard, all southbound lanes between Speedvale Avenue West and Downey Road were closed while emergency crews conducted an extensive cleanup. Children at the nearby YMCA were also moved indoors as a precaution due to fumes and ignition risks. The response involved the Guelph Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Guelph Fire Department, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of the Environment and City of Guelph environmental protection staff. The roadway did not reopen until about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. As a result of the investigation, a 30-year-old Brampton man has been charged with driving a commercial motor vehicle without conducting an inspection and failing to comply with federal safety standards by transporting an unsecured load. A Calgary company has also been charged with failing to comply with safety standards and failing to ensure required performance standards were met.
