'Nasty soup' of chemicals in industrial park worries St. Boniface residents after latest fire

A massive fire that broke out Monday at an oilseed processing plant in Winnipeg's Mission Industrial Park neighbourhoodis out, but residents in theSt. Boniface area are left wondering what other flammable goods are stored in their neighbourhood, and whether the city has a plan in place to deal with a major catastrophe.

"We are concerned," said GaryTessier, who lives in the nearbyDufresnearea. "There's all kinds of chemicals that are used in that industrial park. There's all kinds of industries producing all kinds of things."

The fire broke out in the early afternoon and sent dark clouds of smoke into the air that travelled as far as downtown.

Fire crews were at the plant throughout the night and air monitoring equipment was posted downwind of the fire.

Officials said Monday the equipment did not register anything dangerous to the public, but Tessier isn't convinced the public's safety isn't at risk.

Tessier, who has lived in the Dufresne area for 37 years, says Monday's fire isjust the latestof many incidents in the area.

"It's disconcerting because [Monday's fire] continues to show that there are issues here," he said.

"The Speedway fire in 2012was a huge fire, and that was just at the end of the street on the other side of the tracks and that one there, we were evacuated."

Speedway International, a bio-diesel company, exploded in October 2012, forcing evacuations of nearby homes and sending dark plumes of thick smoke into the sky.

St. Boniface Coun. Matt Allard said safety improvements have been made since the Speedway fire.

"There's now a new inspection regime to ensure that companies that are involved in operations where there's a fire risk are inspected," said Allard.

Winnipeg FireParamedic Service ChiefJohn Lanesaid most businesses are happy to comply with regulations and make improvements whennecessary.

"We are very proactive with all of the businesses in the St. Boniface area. That doesn't mean incidents won't occur," he said.

"We've done everything we can to make sure that risk is as low as possible," said Lane.

Regulations not 'up to snuff'

St. Boniface MLA and Liberal Party Leader Dougald Lamont said inspections aren't enough.

"There are big problems," he said. "We were really lucky that this was a seed processing plant with vegetable oil that was on fire, and not something much more dangerous."

Lamont said there are 16 sites within the St. Boniface industrial park that are licensed to handle hazardous materials.

"The regulation just isn't up to snuff," he said, arguing the governing Progressive Conservative'sred-tape reduction bill will make it easier for existing companies to get licences.

"They're making it easier for a company that already has a licence to set up a hazardous waste disposal site."

'Alot of invisible issues'

Tessier's property is also one of two dozen properties affected by heavy metalcontamination that came to light earlier this summer after soil samples were tested last year.

Tessier said complaints about noise from a nearby metal shredder, as well as air quality concerns, were raised with all levels of government.

"We've been bringing it to their attention, but they are really slow to act," said Tessier.

He said while the city and province are responsible for zoning and licences for the industries, he questions whether they know exactly what hazardous materials are in the area.

Residents worried about hazardous materials in St. Boniface industrial park

6 years ago

Duration 2:13

Officials say air monitoring equipment didn't register anything dangerous to the public after a processing plant when up in flames. St. Boniface residents are still concerned.

"There's a real nasty soup that's living in that area there," he said. "Some of it has been around for an awful long time."

Tessier pointed to the Speedway International fire as proof. That fireled to the owner being fined $4,800 for improperstorage of flammable liquids and building occupancy infractions. The company was also ordered to pay $25,000to the city for firefighting costs.

Tessier would like to see whatemergency plan the city has for the areashould the unthinkable happen, as well as air and soil sample testing so residentsknow exactly what is being sent into the air.

"There's a lot of residents in this area and they want to densify even more so, and they keep on allowing these industries to function as they are," he said.

The province has been promising air quality testing in the area for the last year, but it's not known when that might happen.

A spokesperson for the province said they are working on getting the necessary city approvals and co-ordinating the final location of the monitoring equipment.

They expect to have the air monitoring equipment in place in December.

Experts within Sustainable Development have contacted all lead-affected property owners to offer information and tips for people who wish to garden or grow vegetables in the area, the spokesperson said.

Tessier would ultimately like to see industry moved away from residential areas.

He said the fire is a reminder of the potential dangers that lurk and he hopes concerns about safety don't fade when the smoke clears.

"I thought we were in a beautiful little paradise right here, and visually it looks like it," he said of his home along the Seine River.

"But there's issues going on a lot of invisible issues, but they're issues just the same."