No leads on future use for Sarnia Ineos site: union

A union representing workers at an Ineos Styrolution chemical plant set to close in Sarnia says its call for governments to help find a buyer to keep the site operating hasn’t borne fruit, so far.

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Unifor, which represents about half of the 80 workers at the Sarnia plant, issued the call before Christmas for governments to get involved in finding a way to keep the site operating and its employees working.

Ineos Styrolution said in October it won’t restart its Sarnia styrene monomer production site, at the center of recent concerns over benzene emissions, before its planned closing the company announced earlier last year.

The Sarnia plant has been shut down since April “due to orders from regulatory authorities,” the company said in a news release.

The company said in October it expected to complete decommissioning and “orderly wind-down” early in the fourth quarter of 2025.

“The expedited closure of the Sarnia plant is a devastating blow to our members and the local community,” Unifor national president Lana Payne said in a statement at the end of November. “We urge the governments and the company to work together to secure a new investor.”

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“Everyone seems to have turned a blind eye,” said Gary Lynch, a Unifor national representative. “At this point in time there has been no contact on a buyer or any kinds of leads, unfortunately.”

Ineos filled “an important gap in petrochemical supply chains and the announced site closure is an unfortunate development,” Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada said in a statement.

The federal department added it “remains committed to supporting industry-led solutions that may be put forward to sustainably and responsibly address environmental and health regulatory requirements, while enabling continued production of critical chemicals.”

Some Unifor Local 914 members have found new jobs since the company announced the closing but others are “tied to dates and timelines for buyouts,” and “sticking to the bitter end,” Lynch said.

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“The employees are there working every day de-commissioning the place,” he said.

A closing agreement between the company and union hasn’t been negotiated yet, Lynch said.

The styrene plant was built in 1943 by the former Polymer Crown corporation and had several owners before becoming wholly owned by Ineos in 2011.

“I feel bad for the members, the employees and the community,” Lynch said.

The site used benzene to produce styrene monomer, a material used to make plastic and synthetic rubber products.

Lynch is concerned about what loss of the Ineos plant could mean for industries in the area that smells of their benzene. “The benzene’s got to go somewhere,” he said.

The Sarnia-area’s industries are “deeply interconnected” and Ineos played an important role in using benzene produced as a by-product at several other facilities, the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada said in a statement.

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“With Ineos not operational, other facilities have secured alternate methods to deal with their by-product benzene,” the association said. “This includes reduced production of products that create benzene as a co-product and increased transportation shipments of benzene out of the Sarnia region by ship, rail or truck.”

The association also said it has “long called for new investment in the important Sarnia-Lambton region and would be pleased to work with government to create the right conditions to facilitate investment.”

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said any economic development efforts will depend on what the company decides to do with the property.

“They may just sit on the site,” he said. “We don’t know at this point.”

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Ineos didn’t immediately respond to questions about its plans for the Sarnia site after the plant closes.

There are sites in the Sarnia area where industries closed, such the former Dow Chemical plant property, that were able to “re-invent themselves,” Bradley said.

Any local efforts to seek new uses for the Ineos site will involve consultation with the neighboring Aamjiwnaang First Nation and others, he said.

The First Nation raised the alarm about benzene emissions in mid-April and declared a local state of emergency on May 1.

Ontario’s Environment Ministry said it was suspending the company’s environmental compliance approval amid continuing high benzene emissions until Ineos met new provincial requirements.

The federal government also moved to order Sarnia-area petrochemical plants to take steps to limit benzene emissions.

“Everyone deserves to live in a healthy and safe environment, including Indigenous Peoples whose communities are too often located downwind, downstream, and next to polluting industrial facilities,” Environment and Climate Change Canada said in a statement.

“Protecting air quality and the health of people living in Canada is a priority for the Government of Canada,” it said.

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