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The Brampton Guardian
Five large propane distributors located in Brampton
Thursday August 14 2008
PAM DOUGLAS
Five Brampton companies are licenced to handle propane in quantities similar to that of the Sunrise filling plant that exploded in Toronto, according to a list provided this week by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA).

However, all are located deep in the heart of heavy industrial areas, away from residential neighbourhoods.

City officials and Brampton’s fire chief said this week there are no concerns that a similar situation would arise here as a result of a fire, because all of the companies with similar propane capacities are far removed from “sensitive” or residential developments.

The area around Steeles Avenue East and Hwy. 410/Dixie Road is home to the five Brampton companies on the list, which the TSSA expects to update today to confirm all of the companies located province-wide are still in business.

“We don’t think the same kind of situation exists here in Brampton,” said city planning director Adrian Smith yesterday. “We don’t have a specific concern that the same kind of situation could happen here.

“All of the facilities (in Brampton) that have any kind of significant propane storage are pretty well removed from residential areas or sensitive areas,” Smith said.

The explosions at the Sunrise Propane filling plant in Toronto early Sunday morning killed one worker who is believed to be Parmindar Saini, 26, of Brampton. Saini reportedly came to Brampton from India last December and was going to college here and working part-time at Sunrise. He has no relatives in Canada.

The body found at the site two days after the explosion has still not been positively identified, but the company has said Saini is missing.

The disaster raised questions in Toronto about the safety of locating such a facility in close proximity to a residential area.
Local officials say it’s Brampton’s practice to ensure buffer areas are built between any kind of industrial use and residential or sensitive lands.

For instance, in the new BramWest area, according to Smith, lands zoned “prestige office” will be used as the buffer area as that land is developed in the future. Plans for BramWest put the employment lands in the area of Steeles Avenue and Hwy. 407.

According to the TSSA list, Brampton has approximately 30 of 357 facilities licenced to handle propane and propane cylinders in Ontario, but the vast majority are “refill stations” where barbecue tanks are filled for members of the public, or propane cylinders are used in everyday operations by industrial companies. Brampton’s five are among 17 province-wide licenced to handle larger capacities.

The local five with licences to handle larger capacities—5,000 United States water gallons (USWG) or more—are:
• Air Liquide Canada Inc. at 1700 Steeles Ave. E. carries compressive gases for industry and industrial machinery and equipment;

• Praxair at 165 Biscayne Cres. sells and distributes a variety of gases, including propane;

• EDPRO Energy, 27 Finley Ave., is one of the largest “propane solutions providers” in the country, according to its Web site;

• Matcor Automotive, an automobile parts manufacturer at 1620 Steeles Ave. E.;

• Stephenson’s Rental, 45 Wilkinson Rd.