Refinery in Burnaby, BC, to Resume Operations After Seven-Week Stoppage

A boat travels past the Parkland Burnaby Refinery on Burrard Inlet at sunset in Burnaby, B.C., on April 17, 2021. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

The Parkland fuel refinery in Metro Vancouver is set to resume operations on Mar. 10, seven weeks after an “unplanned issue” forced it to shut down.

A statement on Parkland’s website says crews will begin the process by turning on the main air blower for the heat system at the facility in Burnaby, B.C.

The company says this “essential step” is expected to produce “periods of elevated flaring, and some potential for odours, noise and smoke.”

Once the facility is up and running, Parkland says it will move into the next phase of its operations by starting to feed crude oil into the refinery.

The company says it’s working closely with the community and regulatory bodies, and there will be continuous, independent air monitoring during the restart process.

The unplanned incident on Jan. 21 blanketed parts of Metro Vancouver with a heavy stench and caused more than 100 complaints from local residents.

Parkland had issued an advisory on its website two days beforehand, saying people who live nearby may notice noise and “higher-than-usual flare” from the facility.

Metro Vancouver monitors emissions of particulates, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide from the Parkland refinery, and the district told the public that air quality objectives for the contaminants were not exceeded during the incident.