Burnaby Refinery warns of potential smell, smoke this weekend

As the Burnaby Refinery continues its restart process, there may be smoke, smells, and noise coming from the facility in the next few days.

According to the refinery, it is beginning the next phase of its restart process on Sunday, March 10.

“Following a thorough inspection, cleaning, and routine maintenance of units, we will begin to bring machinery and equipment safely online,” the company said in an email to CityNews Friday.

“We expect this process to take approximately 1-2 weeks, during which there will be periods of elevated flaring, and some potential for odours, noise, and smoke.”

The Burnaby Refinery says it has been working with regulators and stakeholders throughout the restart process, and adds “extra third-party air monitoring” is in place.

“This complements what’s already in place, as well as Metro Vancouver’s robust air quality monitoring system. These are monitored around the clock,” the statement continued.

Earlier this year, a public safety advisory was issued for some communities after a strong smell coming from a fire at the Burnaby refinery cloaked the region.

On Jan. 21, the Burnaby Fire Department said it had attended an “industrial incident” at the refinery that same morning. Parkland, which owns the refinery, added that it responded to an issue with one of its processing units alongside the RCMP and firefighters.

Throughout the event, CityNews received reports from callers who felt dizzy or sick from the smell. Firefighters said at the time that the event didn’t pose a risk to the community, “as there was no significant health risk related to the odour and the smoke.”

However, out of an abundance of caution, the City of Vancouver advised residents to close windows, doors, and air intakes if they smelled any odour in their area.

In the weeks following the initial incident, as Parkland brought the refinery’s operations back up, special air quality statements were issued for parts of Metro Vancouver.

-With files from Monika Gul