A waterfront plant most people never notice has become a defining B.C. fight over risk and supply. Chemtrade has made liquid chlorine on Amherst Avenue since 1957. Today its future turns on a single zoning decision.
In April, the district council rejected the plant’s bid to keep producing chlorine past 2030. Then the mayor reopened the file. Council heard a second round of public testimony on June 16 and 17, and a decision is still pending. Here’s the full picture.
What the plant actually makes
Chemtrade runs the largest liquid chlorine operation in Canada. By its own account, the site makes more than 40% of the country’s supply. It also supplies about 70% of the chlorine used to treat drinking water in B.C. and Alberta.
That reach is national. Chemtrade says 96% of Canadian municipalities treat water with a chlorine derivative.
The plant makes more than chlorine, though. It also produces caustic soda and hydrochloric acid. Those feed pulp and paper, mining and the energy sector. Chemtrade says more than 60% of total output stays in Canada.
The export question
Critics raise a sharp point about where the chlorine goes. Most of the liquid chlorine, roughly 90%, actually ships to the United States. Some opponents have argued only a small share stays home.
Chemtrade’s answer is population. Canada holds about 41 million people. California alone holds nearly as many. So a small slice of output can still protect most of the West’s water.
The company also admits a misstep here. It once stated on its public FAQ that liquid chlorine directly treats Canadian water. In fact, cities mostly use bleach, a chlorine derivative. Chemtrade says it corrected the wording once the error surfaced.
Why not just make bleach
Some opponents ask why Chemtrade can’t simply make bleach instead. The chemistry makes that harder than it sounds.
Chlorine and caustic soda are coproducts. You can’t cut one without hitting the other. Bleach also travels poorly. It’s mostly water, and it breaks down fast.
By Chemtrade’s math, one rail car of liquid chlorine equals about 34 truckloads of bleach. So bleach can serve nearby cities, but not remote ones. Northern B.C., Alberta and the U.S. West would need other sources.
A rival firm disputes this framing, as we’ll see. It argues high-purity bleach can travel farther.
The safety plan on the table
Chemtrade isn’t asking to expand. It’s asking to modernize and stay. The rezoning would unlock a series of upgrades.
The company proposes a “produce-and-ship” model. That cuts the chlorine stored on site. It would also enclose all rail loading inside a sealed building with air scrubbing.
Other measures include seismically activated shutoff valves. New chlorine equipment and piping would meet current B.C. Building Code standards. District staff supported the proposal before the council voted.
Duelling risk studies
The fight largely comes down to two competing reports. Chemtrade commissioned a quantitative risk assessment from BakerRisk. The district had Risktec peer review it.
That review found the upgrades would reduce risk and stay below accepted thresholds. Chemtrade says the residual risk would sit at or near its property line.
Opponents lean on a different study. Chlorine consultant Michael Graveson commissioned a report from AcuTech. It called the rail and storage risk high-consequence and, in places, “intolerable”. Retired Burnaby fire chief Chris Bowcock backed that view.
But the two studies didn’t face the same scrutiny. The district picked an independent firm, Risktec, to peer review Chemtrade’s assessment. The AcuTech report faced no such independent review. Chemtrade calls it outdated and alarmist. Accounts of who paid for it even conflicted. One report described the study as K2-funded. Graveson told the Burnaby meeting he hired AcuTech himself.
Their core charge is scope. They say the district’s study left out rail transport through populated areas. Chemtrade counters that rail falls under Transport Canada, not local zoning. The district agreed it couldn’t weigh rail directly.
Earthquake, flood and rail cars
Geography sharpens the worry. The Maplewood site sits in a seismic, low-lying area. Coun. Catherine Pope flagged both earthquake and conflict risks.
Chemtrade says its studies cover those scenarios. A flood hazard study modelled coastal and river levels. The company says water would rise only partway up the rail car wheels.
On seismic risk, it points to new equipment built to current code. Up to 32 loaded rail cars can sit in the yard at once. Chemtrade notes (with supporting data from the Chlorine Institute) most derailments don’t cause a release. Critics counter that the consequences, however rare, are simply too severe.
The competitor in the shadows
This is the twist that sets the story apart. One of the loudest opponents is a competitor. K2 Pure Solutions makes high-purity bleach in California.
In 2024, a CBC News and Investigative Journalism Foundation probe exposed a covert campaign. A group called “Keep North Vancouver Safe” had flooded council with emails from supposed residents. The trail led to a Toronto lobby firm working for K2.
The ads were alarmist. One featured a skull and crossbones and warned of an unseen gas. Another listed past disasters and ended with “Vancouver, 20??.”
K2 later apologized for the lack of transparency. Its co-founder still defended the underlying message. The episode now shadows every safety claim. It also reached neighbouring Burnaby, whose council raised its own rail alarm after hearing the AcuTech report.
The web of competitor interests runs deeper still. Graveson presents himself as an independent industry consultant. His career, though, has centred on Olin, one of Chemtrade’s largest rivals. And in June 2025, Olin and K2 expanded an exclusive bleach distribution deal across the U.S. West. That partnership openly aims to cut railcar chlorine shipments. That’s the very practice the AcuTech report urges Chemtrade to abandon. Chemtrade sees a clear conflict of interest. Graveson hasn’t said whether he works for K2.
The vote and the rare do-over
On April 13, council split 4-3 against the rezoning. Mayor Mike Little and Couns. Betty Forbes, Catherine Pope and Lisa Muri formed the majority. Forbes called the potential consequences catastrophic. Couns. Jim Hanson, Jordan Back and Herman Mah backed the plant.
Markets reacted fast. Chemtrade’s units fell about 18% after the decision.
Then Little did something rare. He reopened the file under the B.C. Community Charter, a power mayors seldom use. He said new concessions justified a fresh hearing.
Chemtrade strengthened its offer in response. It proposed a covenant on title ending chlorine work by December 2044. That timeline tracks its port lease. The company also promised an updated risk assessment for district review, an independent technology review and funded shelter-in-place training. Those answer the council’s three stated concerns: site security, public safety and a permanent rezoning.
Who’s for, who’s against
The support list is long and senior. Premier David Eby, Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon and MLA Susie Chant all back the plant. So do the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the federal Pacific Caucus, the local chamber and Unifor, the workers’ union. Cities like Kelowna and Fort St. John cite their own water needs.
Some voices are blunt. Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West mocked the war-target logic, asking “What planet are we living on?”
The opposition is local and pointed. It includes nearby residents, independent safety experts and activists. One speaker survived the 2023 derailment disaster in East Palestine, Ohio. Letter writers have split sharply, some applauding the rejection and others calling it against the national interest.
What’s at stake
The clock is real. Under its port lease, Chemtrade must stop chlorine work on port land by 2030. It wants to shift that work to adjacent district land. Local zoning there bans hazardous manufacturing.
Opponents say the company has known this for years. To them, relocation is overdue. Supporters say no other site can fill the gap in time. They warn of leaning on the U.S. for a health-critical chemical.
Chemtrade has signalled it may pursue legal avenues. For now, the council holds the decision. Residents can track filings and hearings through the district’s meeting records. Whatever council decides, the outcome will shape water treatment and public trust across the North Shore.
Ian Biana writes for the Resource Works Accelerate team and can be reached at [email protected].
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