LNG Canada flared an average of 40 times more gas than its permits allow for warm/wet and cold/dry flares (involved in the acid gas removal and liquefaction processes) during the last three months of 2025 and the first month of 2026, according to documents recently obtained by Canadian Physicians for Environment (CAPE) from the BC Energy Regulator through Freedom of Information requests.

Laura Minet, head of the Clean Air Lab at the University of Victoria the lead scientist on the project said, “Due to a lack of information on how LNG Canada modelled flaring for its permits, no comparison can be made between volumes the company forecasted and those that are actually emitted. These unknowns point to the efficacy of monitoring and oversight at this facility from the start. What we do know is that at nine months into regular operations, export facilities should know when they’ll be flaring and communities deserve to be warned before flaring events happen, and with as much notice as possible.”

The documents said flaring at the facility exceeded the warm/wet and cold/dry flares permitted limits by more than 60 times in December alone. The intensity and duration of flaring events—sometimes producing flames as tall as a 26-story building, or up to 90 metres—Minet said the flares are a growing community health concern in Kitimat, as LNG Canada ramps up production, particularly because there has been no comprehensive study assessing the impact of British Columbia’s LNG industry on human health.

The company told the regulator it estimates it will take three years to fix the equipment problem, one that necessitates burning off large amounts of gas—in the form of excess flaring—to prevent an explosion.

The community was notified 33 times of excess flaring in February and March. Each advisory posted on Facebook and sent to local phones, specified that flaring “is not expected to be routine during regular operation.” According to the documents, LNG Canada’s own monthly reports describe this excess flaring as “routine,” given the cause.

In an email to various media an LNG Canada spokesperson said that the facility is in the early operations phase and increased flaring is a normal occurrence, but in regular operations, flaring activities reduce significantly.

CAPE says every flaring event releases a toxic mix of air pollutants, including particulate matter, black carbon, nitrogen and sulphur oxides, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including benzene. Even brief exposures to these air pollutants can harm human health.

Benzene is a potent carcinogen where no safe exposure level has been found. Yet benzene is not routinely measured or reported at LNG facilities in British Columbia.

LNG Canada says that gas processed at the facility “has the same composition as the natural gas used in homes for heating and cooking.” CAPE said samples from gas stoves in Vancouver and Calgary were found to have twice the mean benzene concentration as samples from other North American cities, according to a peer-reviewed scientific study published in 2024.

Flaring is not the same as a gas stove or heater, however. It releases pollutants into an open airshed, at volumes and concentrations that residents cannot avoid and are unable to switch off, making inadequately monitored industrial-scale combustion even more concerning for people’s health.

In April 2025, LNG Canada disclosed to the BC Energy Regulator that a flarestack at the facility had an “integrity issue,” necessitating increased flaring. It was not made public.

To manage this problem and prevent an explosion, LNG Canada has been routing large volumes of gas to the problematic flarestack and burning it off into the airshed. The result, the company says, is “increased flare rates, and a noticeable impact in the community.”

Dr. Tim Takaro, a representative of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, said “The regulatory system is failing to protect people’s health from excessive flaring at LNG Canada. Just last week, the energy regulator in British Columbia slashed oversight levies for LNG Canada—and the timing couldn’t be worse. Hazardous air pollution at LNG Canada is not being adequately monitored or reported to health authorities. Acute exposure to flared gases can trigger an asthma attack. Over the long term, air pollutants like benzene cause cancer. Notifying people after a flaring event does not allow them to protect themselves.”