Air quality advocates are lining up with questions and concerns about Irving Oil's proposal to build a second oil refinery in Saint John.

The industrial city is already home to a pulp mill, the largest oil refinery in Canada and several factories, employing thousands of people. A thick haze of brownish, yellowish smog hangs over Saint John on most days, and when the atmospheric conditions are right, people driving into the city are greeted by the strong smell of sulphur, emitted by the Irving-owned pulp mill.

The Irving Oil refinery in Saint John looms over the city's residential east end. The company has confirmed that it is considering a second refinery in the city.

On Thursday, Irving Oil confirmed CBC reports that the company is considering building another refinery on hundreds of hectares of land it bought in Red Head, on the eastern edge of the city. The refinery would complement the company's liquid natural gas terminal, which is under construction in nearby Mispec.

Gordon Dalzell is with the Citizens' Coalition for Clean Air, and says there is no such thing as a clean refinery, and Saint John can't withstand more assaults on its air quality. "We know the impact such a facility would have on the local air that we breathe and I could never accept it."

Kevin Scott is Irving Oil's director of refining growth, and predicted the project would create 5,000 construction jobs and eventually employ 1,000 people once it starts operating. 

Scott says the new refinery would be as big as the existing one, which processes 300,000 barrels of oil per day, but would process a heavier grade of crude oil. He says that doesn't mean more pollution.

"Well, heavier crude doesn't necessarily translate into emissions," he said. "It's to do with the amount of carbon, you know, the heaviness of the material. And you just need different equipment to refine that than what you have today." 

Irving plans buffer zone for new refinery

Scott says the pretty, seaside community of Red Head will be protected from the output of the proposed refinery. He says the company has bought enough land so that the neighbourhood won't be affected. 

"We've bought a lot of land, we want to think about creating a significant buffer space for people," he said. "We understand people will have concerns, and we want to deal with those through consultation and the permitting process."

Red Head resident Beth Roy says homeowners have to know exactly where the refinery would be built, so they can decide what to do with their houses.

Mike McCambridge says he'd sell his house if he could get a good price. He says he wants out of the neighbourhood.

"Already, construction at Canaport [where the LNG terminal is] is interfering with our quality of life with noise and I just see it getting worse," he said.

Mispec fisherman Wayne Moore is worried about the additional tanker traffic a new refinery could bring.

"It's just an added chaos to us as far as fishing goes. The LNG thing, when it came up, we tried to get answers of where we're going to fish and how it's going to displace our traps.… They're going to build a refinery out here and it's going to be more ships and it's gonna screw us up big-time for fishing," he said.

Scott says the company hasn't decided on the precise location for the proposed refinery, or whether it will even be built. He says the company needs a financial backer for the project, which has an estimated price tag of $5 billion to $7 billion, and hopes to have a decision by early 2007. 

Despite the environmental concerns, the idea is already getting support from business people and politicians at all levels.

Conservative MP Greg Thompson, who represents southwestern New Brunswick and is Canada's minister of veterans affairs, said the project fits in well with Prime Minister Stephen Harper's agenda.  

"Canada's new government is committed to building this country as an energy superpower and a proposal like this could help us realize that vision," he said.