Notes about the incident on March 3rd, 2024

On March 3rd, 2024 a decision was made to evacuate Christ Church Cathedral as a safety precaution. The smell of gas in the lower level hallway by building staff prompted a call to Fortis BC, who advised staff on what needed to be done.  Staff in the lower level did a check for people and sent anyone upstairs, while an announcement was made in the upper level.  Doors were left open for ventilation purposes, and staff waited on the property for a Fortis BC emergency responder to arrive. A technician arrived around thirty minutes after the initial call, and did a walkthrough of the building, checking the areas noted and also the gas appliances in the kitchen and the outside gas meter.  The gas intake at the metre was turned off.  The building was determined to be clear and safe for people to return, and services resumed for the remainder of the day. 

On March 4th, 2024 contractors were on site to turn on the gas and confirm that our building systems and kitchen appliances were working safely. It has been determined by the Fortis BC technician and also by our contractors that the most likely scenario for smelling gas inside the building was residual gas being distributed by our makeup air system on our roof, however, there is a multitude of reasons for gas being in a building, and it all comes down to calling Fortis BC and following their instruction. Any risk is a risk, and Christ Church Cathedral deeply thanks all in attendance that day for their cooperation.

Moving forward, Christ Church Cathedral will review and revisit all emergency procedures, including a response to a fire, an earthquake, gas leaks, and other scenarios. We also plan on having scheduled safety events, so stay tuned!