Here’s Why Windsor Smells Like Gas

The source of a smell in West Windsor has been identified.

On Friday morning, Windsor Fire reported that they were investigating the unknown gas smell in the west end. Enbridge Gas said that their teams investigated and confirmed that the smell was not natural gas.

On Sunday the source was identified.  Plains Midstream Canada says that on July 19th, it was performing routine maintenance at its Windsor facility in West Windsor, which resulted in the unintended release of a small volume of mercaptan.

“The release was quickly contained, and we would also like to reaffirm that while mercaptan has a strong smell, its presence in the air poses little risk to the public,” a Plains Midstream Canada spokesperson said Sunday.

Mercaptan is used as a preventative safety measure to odourize propane, an otherwise odourless gas. Although the concentration of mercaptan was minimal, it will take time for the odour to dissipate.

Officials say that are conducting hourly monitoring to assess odour and air quality, and while those checks have shown the odour is fading in the immediate vicinity of their site, a change in wind direction through the weekend has shifted the odour to the downtown, south and east areas of Windsor.

“Plains Midstream Canada empathizes with residents in Windsor regarding this inconvenience and extends our gratitude to everyone for their patience as the odour continues to dissipate. We send continued appreciation to Windsor Fire & Rescue Services for fielding concerns from the public and sharing that information with us,” the statement said.