Share
UPDATE: On Monday, July 6, the District of North Vancouver council has reversed it's previous decision to deny re-zoning for Chemtrade, representing a significant victory for Unifor Local 697 members.
Members of Unifor Local 697 brought their case directly to District of North Vancouver council at a public hearing on June 16, 2026, standing alongside the company's technical experts to call for the renewal of the licence that keeps the North Vancouver chlor-alkali facility running.
The workers who operate and maintain the plant told council that approving the rezoning application would allow continued production of liquid chlorine, the chemical used to treat much of Canada's drinking water, and clear the way for major safety upgrades at the site.
"The people who keep this plant running safely are the same people who live in this community and raise their families here. When our members say worker safety and community safety are one and the same, council should listen," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "Maintaining the highest Canadian standards and a unionized workforce is a safe choice for any community."
The North Vancouver facility is the largest producer of liquid chlorine in Canada and supplies more than 40 per cent of the country's supply for drinking water treatment. Unifor Locals 697 and 601 operate and maintain the site, which has been running since 1957.
Under its lease with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the company must stop producing, storing and transporting liquid chlorine on port land by 2030. The rezoning would let production continue on the portion of land the company owns and allow planned safety improvements, including removing on-site bulk chlorine storage and moving railcar loading into a sealed building fitted with air scrubbers.
In April, a narrowly divided council voted 4-3 to reject the application. The matter returned for a fresh public hearing after the company addressed council's concerns, giving members another chance to speak as the workers who know the site best.
"Safety is not just a talking point for us. It’s personal. Our operators train for years before becoming fully qualified. That level of skill is recognized well- beyond our site," said Local 697 President Chris Poskitt. "I don’t believe the answer is blind approval or blind opposition. I believe it’s honest engagement, accountability, and recognizing that workers and residents actually want many of the same things. At the end of the day, every person I work with wants to go home safely to their family."
Unifor represents about 3,000 workers across Canada's chemical products industry, along with 9,000 rail members who handle the safe loading, inspection and transport of these products. The union's locals maintain joint health and safety committees at the North Vancouver site.
The facility's future is part of Clean Water Starts Here campaign, which makes the case that the safest way to produce and move the chemicals that keep drinking water clean is with a local, unionized workforce under Canadian regulatory standards.
