Burnaby, B.C., fuel refinery warns more odour, flaring, visible smoke are possible

Parkland Corp. says more odour, flaring and visible smoke is possible at its refinery in Burnaby, B.C., as it works to restart operations over the next few days, after a problem at the facility on Sunday resulted in an acrid smell spreading across parts of Metro Vancouver.

On Jan. 12, the refinery, which is located on the shore of the Burrard Inlet and provides a quarter of the province's transportation fuel, experienced disruption due to the extreme cold and was shut down, Parkland said.

During a restart on Sunday, an "issue" occurred with some machinery at the refinery that led to a "temporary increase in odour, smoke and a flame from the unit's chimney stack," the company said, prompting the Metro Vancouver Regional District to issue an air quality bulletin.

People near the refinery on Sunday described the smell as "acrid burning, like plastic or chemical."

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An issue at the Parkland fuel refinery in Burnaby and a 'temperature inversion' over the Lower Mainland were the perfect recipe for an odorous outdoors.

"During the restart process on Sunday, Jan. 21, an issue occurred in one of the refinery units, which resulted in an odour and plume," a Parkland spokesperson said.

"The well-being of our neighbours is a top priority and we're proactively working with regulators to keep the community safe and informed."

More odour possible with restart

The Calgary-based company said Wednesday it will take about four weeks for the refinery to return to normal operations and plans to increase refined fuel imports into its on-site shipping terminal to fulfil deliveries to customers.

Starting Thursday, the company will conduct a "controlled and necessary operational procedure" that is expected to last several days, according to a Parkland spokesperson.

"As always, our goal is to have minimal impact on our neighbours and nearby communities," the spokesperson said. "However, you may notice increased odour, flaring, and visible smoke over the next few days."

Parkland says it will enlist third-party air monitoring equipment when it conducts its operations "to supplement the systems currently in place."

The Metro Vancouver Regional District said Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it will send its mobile air monitoring unit (MAMU) to a nearby site in advance of work at the refinery.

"MAMU can monitor for specific pollutants in addition to what is detected by our regular monitoring network," the regional district said, adding in a subsequent tweet that residents should report any odour or dust that arises from Parkland's work.

Metro Vancouver had said the acrid odour that blanketed parts of the region on Sunday contained elevated contaminant levels, but didn't breach pollution standards.