PRRD approves permit for explosives storage outside Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The regional district is bringing a chemical storage facility just outside Fort St. John into compliance with a three-year temporary use permit. 

During the January 8th meeting, the Peace River Regional District approved a temporary use permit for oil well explosives for three years. 

According to a staff report, the property – Walker’s Holdings International’s Gun Loading Facility – is north of Fort St. John outside of the city boundary, approximately two kilometres south of Highway 97 and two kilometres north of the Peace River.

Owned by J & H Taylor Holdings, the property is located at 7219 256 Road, and currently consists of a purpose-built unit designed to store 25 kilograms of net explosive quantity (NEQ).

NEQ is the mass of explosive materials excluding the weight of packaging, gasings or wires. 

The properties surrounding the subject are considered “overall light industrial,” with some residential properties nearby.

“[The PRRD Zoning Bylaw] section 45.1 states land within this zone may be used for warehousing, oil and gas field services contractor[s], excluding tank farm[s] and chemical storage,” staff wrote.

The applicant applied to the PRRD to bring the facility into compliance to store the oil well explosives, for which it received a federal explosives licence from Natural Resources Canada on June 25th, 2025. 

A public comment was also included in the report, submitted by Cam Peters on January 5th. 

Peters noted his property is on 240 Road, and expressed his disapproval of the application.

“If industrial growth near residential areas is not restricted, the residences will have no value as a place to live,” Peter stated. 

“I’m not into rocking the boat but if left unchecked, people start pushing the boundaries.”

Peters also noted a property nearby that had “400 barrel storage tanks” on it, which he stated would lead to an unsafe situation in the event of accidents if problems on either property spilled over onto each other. 

During the January meeting, the proponent was granted a temporary use permit, not a zoning amendment, keeping it consistent with the regional district’s Official Community Plan.