[2] The blasts caused thousands of people to be evacuated from their homes and cost C$1.8 million to clean up, half of which was paid by the province of Ontario.

As a result of the case, Sunrise was forced to pay the account owed plus interest, totalling C$93,389.54, and an additional C$34,284.71 in legal fees.

Toronto mayor David Miller stated that the facility was allowed to be built in the neighbourhood under zoning that was in place for over a decade.

[2] The threat of further blasts and concerns about the air quality forced the police to conduct a voluntary evacuation of a large area in the surrounding community.

[11] Regular commercial air traffic was allowed to continue in and out of Pearson International Airport while smaller, privately owned aircraft were restricted from flying over the area.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty also said that the province was willing to provide financial aid to residents whose homes were damaged by the explosions.

[15] On August 4, 2010, the Toronto Star reported that the massive Sunrise propane explosion in 2008 was caused by an illegal "tank-to-tank transfer" along with a gas hose leak.

The Star reports that Sunrise did not have the right licence to perform those types of transfers and that it was previously barred from doing so by the TSSA in November 2006.

[16][17] The Environment Ministry has argued that Sunrise failed "to show that there was a proper preventative maintenance system in place.

However, many people returning to their homes were stopped at police checkpoints and turned back, or not permitted to take their vehicles into the immediate area.

[22][23] On August 11, almost all residents who had to be evacuated were allowed back, though about 35 families had to wait while tests by health officials were conducted over concerns about airborne asbestos.

[23] As a result of the explosion, Toronto officials planned to review all industrial areas that could pose a potential threat to residential neighbourhoods to prevent similar situations.

As part of its investigation, TSSA officials and the Ontario Fire Marshal reviewed past inspections of the facility to determine the cause of the explosions.

[26] On August 19, nine days after the explosions, Sunrise issued a short news release, stating that the company regretted the loss of life and that they were co-operating with authorities' investigations.

[30] Felipe De Leon, an employee at Sunrise, stated that he had completed an illegal propane transfer when he noticed smoke at the north end of the facility.

Sunrise was no longer in operation at the time and the defence lawyer argued his clients did not have the money to pay millions in fines.