Questions linger a month after Burnaby refinery incident

It's been one month since an incident at Burnaby’s Parkland refinery sent a foul odour throughout parts of Metro Vancouver, prompting a public safety advisory and an air quality bulletin.

It's been one month since an incident at Burnaby’s Parkland refinery sent a foul odour throughout parts of Metro Vancouver, prompting a public safety advisory and an air quality bulletin.

On Tuesday, facility staff held an information session at a Burnaby hotel in an attempt to counter concerns from the public, describing what happened as an industrial incident.

The incident unfolded on Jan. 21 – as an attempt to re-start the refinery’s fluid catalytic converter had to be abandoned. It was during that shutdown attempt that a plume and odour emerged.

“In British Columbia, we have very stringent air quality standards, and the air quality monitors in the Lower Mainland -- at no time during the event – were any of the air quality standards exceeded,” the refinery’s plant manager Alex Coles told CTV News in an interview Tuesday.

At this information session staff often outnumbered residents, but still, those who came had questions.

“We didn’t know what was going on,” said Michele Joel, a woman who lives near the refinery and attended the information session. “Everyone was concerned. Black smoke was coming out of the refinery. We just didn’t know what was happening. First of all, we want to be informed earlier. At least some kind of information.”

For some people who live in the area, the information session seemed to ease concerns.