Resident questions Burnaby refinery's internal investigation

A Vancouver man is questioning the findings from a Burnaby refinery's investigation, and wondering why a third-party didn't do the probe.

Shawn Vulliez called the Burnaby refinery’s 10-page report insultingly short, and said he thought it lacked information.

“They don’t talk about what was released, how much was released and what the impacts were,” he said. “They leave out the prospect there could be safety issues.”

Vulliez is referring to the industrial incident on Jan. 21 at the refinery owned by Parkland Corp. 

The operational event required a temporary shutdown and sent strong fumes across the Lower Mainland. It prompted a public safety advisory and an air quality bulletin.

Vulliez said many of his friends felt sick that day.

“These are neighbourhoods that have daycares, senior centres – it’s a big deal,” he said.

Following the event, the refinery received more than 100 complaints from residents, and WorkSafeBC says nine refinery workers needed medical attention. 

The Burnaby refinery's report identifies three key findings that contributed to the event. One of those findings was the cold snap in January that led to "previously unseen operational, instrumentation and equipment issues."

Since the event, the company said it has updated the refinery’s winterization strategy, processes, and procedures. It is also implementing new protocols to help it establish clear communication with stakeholders.

In a statement to CTV News, the City of Burnaby said it was pleased to see that Parkland was taking steps to address what led to the event, and is working on improving communication with the public and stakeholders.

“We look forward to seeing these recommendations put into action,” the statement continued.

Vulliez said he thinks the investigation falls short.

“They’ve never come out and said, 'Look, you have nothing to worry about,'” he added.

When asked what chemicals were released that day, the refinery said the emissions included “particulate matter composed of Fluid Catalytic Cracker catalyst and soot from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide.”

The statement added: “Our regulator, Metro Vancouver, whose air quality objectives are some of the most stringent in the world, reported at the time that we remained within the air quality objectives they set.”

In 2022, a report by WSP Golder called Parkland Burnaby Refinery Human Health Risk Assessment Study Results stated that two previous assessments performed for the refinery identified key contaminants of concern: sulphur dioxide, benzene and butadiene. 

Vulliez said he isn't convinced something like this won't happen again.

“Climate change is getting worse as a result of the oil and gas industry,” he said. “So the prospect of oil and gas refineries being more dangerous over time as a result of climate change is something I’m really worried about.”