Even 9 months after the propane leak at Whistle Bend Place, questions remain

Nine months after an emergency response to a propane leak at a Whitehorse nursing home, questions remain.

The Yukon Employees' Union is seeking answers from the employer – the Government of Yukon – about the Jan. 19 propane leak at Whistle Bend Place on Olive May Way.

The union raised questions in a press release based on information contained in a package of documents obtained by the union under the Access to Information Act and subsequently shared with the union News.

Around 3:05 a.m. on Jan. 19, security forces began receiving calls from “resident care areas” about the smell of propane, according to a debriefing in the package. During the investigation, a leak was discovered in the propane system outside House 3, part of the nursing facility, and the fire department was called. The leak was stopped by firefighters around 3:45 a.m. with an emergency shutdown of the system

The documents show that people in “resident care areas” were ordered to shelter in place, close doors and windows and ensure no residents went outside to smoke.

After controlling the leak, the fire department concluded it was safe for residents to remain in place because “no dangerous levels of propane were detected in the occupied spaces,” according to the filing.

Superior Propane technicians were also on site to inspect and repair deficiencies in the propane system. They fixed it and are back online. According to the documents, Superior Propane is investigating the cause of the component failure in the propane system.

The incident was reported to RCMP on the evening of Jan. 19, which is standard procedure. The common hypothesis is that the leak was accidental, the documents say.

According to the post-evaluation, 12 incident reports were filed by staff related to exposure to propane fumes and complaints of headaches, nausea and sore eyes. According to another document, five employees reported “mild symptoms of propane poisoning.”

According to the review, there are no reports of resident exposures.

According to the preliminary findings of the investigation, between 200 and 500 liters of propane are said to have leaked.

The review includes some recommended actions for improvement, although four additional recommendations were redacted.

Email correspondence included in the document package indicates that a defective evaporator that caused the boilers to shut down on Jan. 11 was due to “inadequate or lack of maintenance” of the propane system since it was installed.

Because the evaporator failed, the email said, the Yukon Department of Highways and Public Works and Superior Propane entered into a preventative maintenance contract.

The incident is described in email correspondence as a “large” propane leak. With outside temperatures above -42°C, the liquid propane turned gaseous, allowing employees to smell the leak and report it. However, at temperatures below -42°C the propane would have remained liquid and may not have been identified.

“Sounds like we narrowly averted a more serious situation,” the health and human services director wrote in an email. The director noted that they look forward to hearing what can be learned and how to prevent a similar emergency from occurring again.

The Yukon NDP pressed the government on the issue in the Legislative Assembly, hours after the union brought it to attention in a press release on Oct. 23.

Whitehorse Center MLA Lane Tredger said the documents indicate the government did not know it owned the propane plant. Tredger said the propane system hasn't been inspected in six years. They asked for an explanation as to how such a mistake was made in the first place.

Nils Clarke, Minister for Public Works and Environment, responded that the government was responsible for more than 600 buildings.

Clarke indicated that he needed to be informed of the matter in order to return.

“We are absolutely concerned about these matters,” he said.

Tredger asked the minister to outline the four recommended actions deleted from the documents and provide an overview of whether these actions have been completed.

“Workers and residents at the facility are rightly concerned and need more than just a promise to do better. “You have the right to know what happened and what this administration is doing to prevent something like this from happening again,” Tredger said.

Tredger called on the minister to commit to publishing all reports from all investigations.

Contact Dana Hatherly at [email protected]

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