Chemical Valley, sitting on traditional Anishinaabe territory, is not, in fact, a valley - it’s more like a cluster of petrochemical facilities lining the St. Clair river along what is now known as the “Canadian” side of the “border”. When visitors make their way to the Aamjiwnaang “Rez”, they often describe the journey as both horrifying and fascinating. Petrochemical plants line the roads surrounding Aamjiwnaang, seeping white smog and peculiar odors across the area. Disturbingly, all that stands between these highly combustible, fragile facilities and the surrounding communities, including the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, is the chain link fencing and a few security guards determined to stop people from taking pictures. Photos of these facilities and their proximity to Aamjiwnaang are not enough to paint the picture of living a day on the rez, unless, of course, the photo you’re looking at emits foul odors of gas and leaves you with a sore throat and headache.
One of the most noticeable structures of the facilities, apart from the fire-spewing flare stacks, are the massive white storage tanks (at least, they used to be white) that sit along the road and the river. A quick look at these tanks and you can tell they’ve got some years on them. With rust and grime beginning to crawl down their sides, one might wonder the state of affairs on the inside of these eye sores.
These tanks are generally used to store large volumes of liquid used in the oil and gas industry, and are generally touted as being safe for the surrounding community, although Aamjiwnaang would take exception to that. Over the past year alone, Aamjiwnaang has had to suddenly close down Band-operated buildings several times for extended periods due to the detection of high levels of benzene in the air. Benzene is a harmful chemical known to cause cancer and other health impacts in humans. Air monitoring data along the INEOS propertyline demonstrates extraordinarily high benzene levels near storage tanks that are immediately adjacent to the Aamjiwnaang First Nation. Community members later learned in an evacuation presentation that the benzene impacting Aamjiwnaang was leaking from an old storage tank located at the intersection of Vidal St. South and Churchill Line. The reason this tank was able to discreetly leak benzene over Aamjiwnaang for over a year comes down to a simple design flaw with this style of tank, also known as a floating roof tank.
Floating roof tanks have been around since the early 1920’s and have earned a reputation for being safe and cost effective among oil and gas industry giants. However, these giants do not live the reality that neighbors of these tanks do. The reality is that leaks are common, and protecting the health of surrounding communities like Aamjiwnaang takes a backseat to the cost savings of the floating roof design. One of the common areas of failure with the floating roof tank design are the seals that connect the floating roof to the tank side walls. When these seals fail, gases stored in the tank can leak freely into surrounding areas.
The impacts of this kind of air spill are serious. When benzene leaks occur, it becomes unsafe to be outside for huge swaths of Aamjiwnaang and unsafe to allow outside air to come into homes. Community members are impacted year-round, since not being able to use the air systems in your home means having no way to regulate the temperature when the weather is too hot or cold. It means having to keep your windows and doors shut, both within your home and in the car while driving through unsafe areas.
These elevated levels of benzene have been measured consistently since the monitors first began measuring benzene in early 2018. The INEOS facility has been located adjacent to the Aamjiwnaang First Nation for about four decades and, in comparison to the United States, there has been a lack of federal and provincial air pollution rules in Canada with respect to benzene air emissions for most of this time. The United States has had stringent rules targeted specifically to address benzene air emissions since the late 1980's. The Aamjiwnaang First Nation has been publishing a comparison of the elevated benzene air concentrations along the INEOS property-line since October 2022 showing that average benzene air concentrations are 20 - 40 times higher adjacent to Aamjiwnaang relative to similar industrialized areas in the United States.
An ideal model for ending the impunity with which petrochemical companies are allowed to operate is the system implemented in California. In 1967, California established the California Air Resources Board (CARB), an oversight committee aiming to combat air pollution in the state. The CARB imposes strict regulations on petrochemical companies operating in the state, including monitoring the tanks’ design and operation to ensure public health is protected. What is stopping the government of Ontario from prioritizing the health and well-being of Aamjiwnaang by implementing a similar effort?
On May 16, 2024, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) put forward an order requiring Sarnia petrochemical production facilities that surpass fenceline benzene concentrations of 29 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3) to install fully closed vent systems with vapour control on certain benzene storage tanks. On May 24, 2024, the Canadian Government approved the interim order, which formally extends it for two years. Although the interim order is a step in the right direction, the people of Aamjiwnaang need permanent solutions. An order lasting two years is worth something, but what are two years to Aamjiwnaang community members who can’t practice traditions on the land without breathing in these chemicals? Two years is hardly enough to make a dent in a lifetime of harmful chemical exposure.
As well, there has been no retribution for the serious health impacts already made on Aamjiwnaang. When will provincial and federal governments hold industrial facilities operating near Aamjiwnaang accountable for their damage to the community?