Learn how to report pollution like illegal waste dumping, improper pesticide use and pollution on land, in the water or air. Owners of a pollutant can learn how to report spills to the Spills Action Centre.
Report a pollution incident online
Use our new online reporting tool to report potential pollution incidents quickly and get status updates.
Owners of pollutants must report spills by phone to the Spills Action Centre.
We need your help identifying pollution incidents where and when they happen. This will help us respond quickly and keep our communities safe.
Please report it immediately if you witness any of the following:
You can report pollution either online or by phone.
Always report urgent pollution incidents by phone at 1-866-MOE-TIPS (663-8477), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Reporting online is fast and simple, and can be done easily from your mobile device. The online tool lets you:
When you submit your report, you will be asked to provide information about:
You can also upload a photo, audio file, or video up to 20MB in size to your report.
After you submit your report, staff at the Spills Action Centre will review it. They will send your report to the appropriate district or area office for follow up.
If you don’t want to report the pollution incident online, or if the incident is an emergency, you can call our public reporting hotline toll-free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-866-MOE-TIPS (663-8477).
During the call, we will collect and assess your information before deciding on an appropriate response.
You will be asked for:
Owners of pollutants are required by provincial law to report spills if:
Owners of pollutants reporting spills are required to contact the Spills Action Centre by telephone:
The telephone lines above are available 24/7.
In addition to contacting Ontario’s Spills Action Centre, the spill must also be immediately reported to:
When reporting the spill, the owner of the pollutant will be asked to provide:
After the owner of the pollutant reports the spill, an environmental officer will:
More details on regulatory reporting can be found in Ontario Regulation 675/98 .
Under the Environmental Protection Act , it is the duty of the owner or controller of a spilled pollutant to clean up a spill. They must do everything practicable to prevent and eliminate the negative effects from a spill, including restore the natural environment to its original state.
If those responsible for a spill cannot or will not respond to properly clean up the spill, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has the authority under the Environmental Protection Act to order those responsible to do so.
Spill clean-up can require specialized response (HAZMAT) and equipment. Licensed spill contractors can be hired to clean up a spill. There are also rules for the disposal of pollutants and spill contractors are familiar with these rules. If you are not sure how to handle a spill or the disposal of pollutants contact the Spills Action Centre at Toll-free: 1-800-268-6060 (24 hrs).
High risk spills can require significant involvement and resources by the province to actively oversee and monitor the clean-up.
The Ontario government can recover reasonable costs and expenses that provincial agencies incur to respond to a spill, including any steps taken to ensure those responsible for the spill:
This can include time that provincial staff spend at the site of the spill, sampling and monitoring costs and any other related costs or expenses that provincial agencies incur to ensure negative effects from the spill are adequately reversed.
For more information, please send us a message or call the Public Information Line at: