Whitehorse, YT – Following a propane leak on January 19th at Whistle Bend Place, documents the Yukon Employee’s Union (YEU) obtained through an access to information request (ATIPP) indicate that the Yukon Government doesn’t fully understand the scale of the leak despite staff being told to shelter in place.
“We do not know what the maximum concentrations of propane got to in the building as it was only monitored once the event was stabilized,” reads a January 19th meeting debrief with staff from Whistle Bend Place, Superior Propane and the Yukon Government.
Hundreds of litres of propane leaked from a 68,000-litre tank and created a visible haze near the facility.
A statement from YEU calls for a review of the Government’s response and questions why staff were told to shelter in place instead of calling an emergency Code Brown which is the standard for hazardous spills.
Photo taken of propane haze outside Whistle Bend Place during January 19th propane leak which was included in the 858 pages of released ATIPP documents. Screengrab from released ATIPP documents.
Five staff members later reported mild symptoms of propane exposure but the YEU believes residents may also have been impacted.
ATIPP documents reveal that without an engineer on-site the propane system could not be shut off until the Whitehorse Fire Department responded.
Responding to questions from NDP MLA Annie Blake over why the propane system was not maintained in six years Highways and Public Works Minister Nils Clarke says he’s still waiting to be briefed before he can offer comment but pointed to a lack of injuries.
“All I can say to Yukoners is that ultimately there were no injuries or worse with respect to this incident,” said Minister Clarke. “What the member opposite is presenting, of course, is a concern and I look forward to receiving additional advice.”
The propane system was built by Superior Propane and sold to the Yukon Government in 2018, making the Department of Highways and Public Works responsible for maintenance.
