Tamworth retirement home owner convicted for failing to keep well water safe

What happened

• The court found 2652366 Ontario Inc. (owner of Adair Place / Stone Mills Retirement Home in Tamworth) and its sole director, Safraz Ally, guilty of 11 violations each under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Where and who this affected

• The small non-municipal well system served a retirement home with up to 27 residents. The facility closed in December 2023.

By the numbers

• Conviction date: February 19, 2026.
• Fines: company $85,000 + $21,250 surcharge; Mr. Ally $70,000 + $17,500 surcharge.
• Combined fines = $155,000; combined victim surcharges = $38,750. Both defendants were given 60 days to pay.

Key failures cited in the court bulletin

• Operating the drinking water system without a valid operator certificate after Mar. 20, 2022.
• Missing required raw and distribution water samples (multiple months in 2022 and 2023).
• Failing to ensure weekly maintenance by a trained person as required by the engineer’s report.
• Not installing an automatic shut-off valve on the UV disinfection system until Aug. 28, 2023.
• An October 2022 UV failure led to undertreated water; one sample showed 79 Total Coliforms.
• Failing to submit sampling and maintenance plans required by a Provincial Officer’s Order.

Enforcement

• The ministry’s Environmental Investigations and Enforcement Branch investigated and laid the charges that led to the convictions.