Provincial leaders must act to ensure public and environmental health

Premier Eby, Health Minister Dix, and Environment Minister Heyman, we demand clear and decisive action.

This Sunday, January 21st, the entire Metro Vancouver area was blanketed by a thick, toxic gas and an alarming smell after a flare-up at the Parkland Fuel Corp's Burnaby refinery. The odourous gas has had severe health impacts on people across the Greater Vancouver area. But provincial and local leaders have been silent. Over 2.5 million people live in Metro Vancouver and they have no clarity on the toxic chemicals they inhaled, the associated health implications, or the environmental or climate impact:

1. Initiate a full independent investigation into the incident on Sunday Jan 21st

2. Ensure timely public health warnings for any future incident

3. Demand accountability from Parkland Corporation and all polluters

This crisis sends a clear signal that it's time to accelerate a just transition to a renewable energy economy.

Demand action on Parkland Corporation's toxic chemical leak in Burnaby

2376

Goal: 2500

Big Oil should not get a free pass to pollute our lungs and the climate. The provincial government must take this matter seriously. Parkland's Burnaby refinery processes fossil fuels, including tar sands oil transported by the Trans Mountain pipeline. That means we can expect crises like this to happen more frequently if the Trans Mountain pipeline begins operations.

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Dear [recipient name will go here],

This Sunday, January 21st, the entire Metro Vancouver area was blanketed by a thick, toxic gas and an alarming smell after a flare-up at the Parkland Fuel Corp's Burnaby refinery. The odourous gas has had serious health impacts on people across the Greater Vancouver area. But provincial and local leaders have been silent. Over 2.5 million people live in Metro Vancouver and they have no clarity on what they are breathing in, the health implications, or the environmental or climate impact. We demand clear and decisive action.

1. Initiate a full independent investigation into the incident on Sunday Jan 21st: The public has received multiple contradictory reports about what triggered this incident and the resulting impact. We call on you to launch a public investigation which yields a full disclosure on the nature and cause of the incident. The public also needs transparent information about the toxic chemicals released, expert analysis about the personal health impacts, and a clear assessment of the implications for the environment and climate. This must include unbiased third-party testing of air and water. We do not trust the oil industry to investigate themselves.

2. Ensure timely public health warnings for any future incident: It took far too long for public advisories to be released to the public, and even then, the advice to remain indoors with windows and doors closed did not account for the the fact that many residents experienced serious health impacts, such as coughing and vomiting, even while indoors.

3. Demand accountability from Parkland Corporation and all polluters: Parkland Corporation should be legally and financially liable for any public health, environmental, or climate impacts resulting from this incident.

Big Oil doesn't get a free pass to pollute our lungs and the climate. The provincial government must take this matter seriously. Parkland's Burnaby refinery processes fossil fuels, including tar sands oil transported by the Trans Mountain pipeline. That means we can expect crises like this to happen more frequently if the Trans Mountain pipeline begins operations.

This crisis sends a clear signal that it's time to accelerate a just transition to a renewable energy economy.

Sincerely,
[your name will go here]
[your email address will go here] [your location will go here]

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