'There never was and is not now evidence to justify criminal negligence allegations,' defence claims
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) has laid charges following a two-and-a-half-year investigation into the fatal explosion at Eastway Tank Pump & Meter on Merivale Road in 2022.
On Sept. 11, company owner Neil Greene, 51, of Ottawa, was charged with six counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. Greene was released from custody on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court in October 2025. The matter is now before the courts, the OPS said.
On Jan. 13, 2022, an explosion and fire occurred at the Eastway facility at 1995 Merivale Road in Ottawa. The incident resulted in the deaths of six employees: Richard Bastien, 57; Daniel Beale, 29; Kayla Ferguson, 26; Matthew Kearney, 35; Etienne Mabiala, 59; and Russell McLellan, 43. Another employee, Tanner Clement, now 36, sustained serious injuries.
All victims were employees of Eastway, according to the OPS.
Greene’s legal team has claimed that the charge lacks merit.
"Our position is that there never was and is not now evidence to justify criminal negligence allegations. Public pressure is not a substitute for evidence," according to a statement from Greene's lawyers, CBC reported.
The OPS continues to ask anyone with information who has not yet spoken with investigators to contact the West Criminal Investigations Section. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers.
‘Most prominent of feeling more closure’
Meanwhile, the twin sister of one of the six workers killed in the Eastway explosion welcomed the charges against Greene.
"I don't think I need closure necessarily, but I think ... how I felt today was the most prominent moment of feeling more closure," Jackie Beale said on Friday, according to CBC.
Eastway Tank, Pump and Meter committed a series of negligent acts that resulted in the explosion that killed six people in 2022, according to a previous report.
These negligent acts—detailed in an information to obtain (ITO) that Det.-Sgt. Michael Cathcart wrote in September 2023 to convince a judge to authorise more search warrants in the case—include:
- Failing to ground and bond the truck that exploded – a standard recommended precaution that prevents sparks and dissipates static charge into the ground.
- Building the truck that exploded with some used parts that were not properly cleaned of flammable liquids, and a lack of "clearly defined cleaning and verification protocols … [caused] a reckless attitude toward safety."
- Lacking written procedures for various tests done.
- Using coloured diesel to flush out gasoline from tanks and using the colour to determine when gasoline was no longer present.
- Diluting tanks of diesel contaminated with gasoline by adding more diesel, instead of disposing of the contents of the tank.
- Monitoring contamination inconsistently.
File photo from Ottawa Police Service
