Regulations came in the wake of sickness, evacuations at Aamjiwnaang

“This chapter ends among unfair and inaccurate portrayals of our site” says company

The Independent

INEOS Styrolutions’ shutdown is complete.

The multi-national company made the decision to close after a series of events which led to stricter regulations for benzene emissions in Sarnia’s petrochemical industry.

May 1 – more than two weeks after benzene levels 22 times the allowable limit sickened members of the the Aamjiwnaang First Nation – the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, pulled the company’s Environmental Compliance Approval certificate shutting the plant down.

The order required the removal of all benzene storage from the site.

The province also ordered Styrolutions to install full vapour control equipment, legislation which was later mirrored by the federal government which announced an interim order May 17.

But the company called the new regulations “crippling”, appealed the decision and asked for meetings with regulators to explain how the changes were affecting its business.

In October, INEOS announced it would close the 80-year-old Sarnia facility, which operated under several different companies names including Canadian Polymer, Polysar Ltd. and NOVA Chemicals. Sytrolutions officials said the company had been “relentlessly targeted” by both the provincial and federal governments. Styrolutions was originally to be closed by June 2026.

Dec. 17, the company sent out a statement to the media saying the closure was completed ahead of the original schedule.

“When we announced the closure in October 2024, we committed to managing the process safely, professionally, and with deep respect for our employees and the community. We have delivered on that commitment. Safety, responsibility, and environmental compliance have always remained our highest priorities, right up to its final day of operation,” the unsigned statement said.

“For more than eight decades, this plant supported families, fueled economic opportunity, and played a meaningful role in Canada’s chemical industry. That legacy belongs entirely to the people who worked here, dedicated and resilient people who showed up, took pride in their skills, and delivered exceptional work,” the company statement continued.

“We are deeply saddened to see the history of this cornerstone of Canadian industry, more than 80 years in the making, come to a close. We are equally disappointed that this chapter ends among unfair and inaccurate portrayals of our site. We stand firmly by the dedication, professionalism, and integrity of our employees, and by the positive role they have played in the community.”

Meantime Imperial Oil is preparing for one of its largest projects in the Sarnia site’s history. Part of that turnaround will include measures to meet the new requirements for benzene emissions.