Clean Drinking Water

Chemtrade’s North Vancouver chlor-alkali facility is one of Canada’s largest providers of liquid chlorine

Chemtrade’s North Vancouver chlor-alkali facility is one of Canada’s largest providers of liquid chlorine – accounting for 40 per cent of all liquid chlorine available in Canada. Regionally, this equates to over 70 per cent of the liquid chlorine available in BC and Alberta.

In Chemtrade’s current lease, there is a restriction that stops production of liquid chlorine at our site beyond 2030. Knowing the significant role liquid chlorine plays in supporting safe drinking water for millions of Canadians; we think this is a conversation that needs to start now to ensure that the decisions we make do not have unintended, long-term consequences. 

There are several reasons why keeping Chemtrade’s operations in North Vancouver are critical for our communities, our province and Canada. They include:

  • A product in demand globally. If Chemtrade were to close, Canada would be reliant on partners such as the United States to supply the volumes of chlorine BC and Canada needs. The United States will prioritize access to US-based chlorine production to ensure the safety of their own drinking water first. As recently as 2021, potential chlorine shortages have already been identified by the United States. 

  • A product in demand locally. Most drinking water treatment plants in Canada use chlorine as a disinfectant. A survey conducted by Statistics Canada in 2015 found that 96 per cent of municipalities were relying on chlorine to treat their municipal water supply.

  • Higher risk and cost of shipping chlorine from elsewhere. It is more difficult to ship chlorine from the US Gulf Coast to Western Canada, where the bulk of the capacity is presently.

  • Cost of updating old technology could reduce the number of existing plants in North America. In 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its ruling under the Toxic Substance Control Act, which prohibits the use of chrysotile asbestos. This change comes into effect in 2029 and will directly impact eight facilities in the US who currently use asbestos diaphragms in their production; this is equal to about 30 per cent of the total supply available in North America (Canada, the US and Mexico). The North Vancouver facility has been modernized and will not be impacted by these regulations. Facilities in the US will experience significant costs and periods of shutdown to do this work before 2029.

  • Significant cost to move or initiate operations elsewhere. Notwithstanding the need for access to Port shipments and rail lines, building a facility of Chemtrade’s size elsewhere in Canada is cost prohibitive.

In short, we want to make sure that we are making the right decisions, for the local community who call North Vancouver home, as well as the millions of Canadians who rely on chlorine from our site to treat their drinking water. This is why we have engaged with the community, and all levels of government, to fully understand the situation with liquid chlorine.