A crack developed in LNG Canada’s  warm/wet flare tip on February 18, followed by another five days later, according to a Canadian Press report based on documents obtained by University of Victoria air quality researcher Laura Minet under a freedom of information request.

Work to replace that component is set to begin in mid-June.

The report says gas that would have gone through that flare tip is being diverted to a spare one, which the report said was the largest source of flaring by volume during March, at 16.7 million cubic metres. In non-routine scenarios, like this one, the authorized rate of discharge from the spare flare is "as required" without a specified limit, the LNG Canada permit says

"The rationale for not subjecting the non-routine flaring volumes to the permit is that non-routine is typically an emergency, and the regulator prefers the facility to flare rather than vent in those cases, for safety reasons," Minet said.

Another problem noted in the LNG Canada report relates that during March 2026, the acid gas incinerator on one of two production trains was off-line for the whole month for an extended maintenance outage.

The Canadian Press report says the failed equipment is part of the pre-treatment process, where gases like carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide are minimized, according to Tim Doty, an air quality expert with Texas group Oilfield Witness who previously worked for that state's environmental regulator.

"If that unit is down, obviously it means the gas is dirtier and not being purified the way that it's represented on its operating permits," Doty said.

Meanwhile the average volume of cold/dry flares throughout March was three times the amount allowed under LNG Canada's permit. And for the storage/loading flare, it was almost seven times higher.

"The regulator should be holding LNG Canada accountable to its permits and if LNG Canada is not able to meet those permits then it should issue a stop-work order until it fixes the problem with the flare tip and can operate within the conditions of its permit," said Tracey Saxby, executive director at My Sea to Sky in Squamish, B.C., the site of the under-construction Woodfibre LNG project.

LNG Canada and the regulator did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

LNG Canada has said flaring ensures gas is managed in a controlled and efficient way. "It is a critical part of safely operating a facility of this scale and is not expected to be routine during regular operation," LNG Canada said in a public notice last month.