‘I can feel the floor vibrate': Burnaby, B.C., residents demand action over nighttime noise at dairy plant
Residents in a Burnaby apartment building say they've been enduring sounds comparable to a jet engine in the middle of the night for years.
Residents in a Burnaby apartment building say they've been enduring sounds comparable to a jet engine in the middle of the night for years.
Noise from dairy plant keeps residents up at night
Some Burnaby residents say they've been waking up several times a week to a sound of they describe as similar to jet engines.
Jonathan Yee, who lives in an apartment building beside the plant, says the noise is impossible to ignore.
'It sounds like jet turbines,' Yee said. 'Just jets taking off for countless hours throughout the night.'
Neighbour Jay Brumin agrees.
'Sounds like anything from a lawnmower to jet engines taking off,' he said. 'I can feel the floor vibrate. It's actually that bad.'
Brumin, who has a young child, says it's impacting his toddler's development.
'I have a toddler who likes to sleep and grow and develop, and unfortunately, it's just been really affecting his sleep,' Brumin said.
Yee says he's been woken up three or four times a week — and that it's been going on for years.
'I've never been in this situation before,' he said. 'Suffice to say, it's been a very disappointing experience working with the City of Burnaby,' Yee said.
He claims he and other residents have reached out to the City of Burnaby and Agripor — the company that owns the plant — but they've received few answers.
'We all just want accountability,' said Yee. 'We don't want anybody to lose their jobs. We don't want anybody to be hurt. We want people to take accountability for their actions.'
'Super frustrating,' added Brumin. 'I mean, there's nothing we can do. This is our last resort, you know, turning to the media,'
An email sent by Dan Layng with the City of Burnaby to one concerned resident nearly two years ago said the city was working on possible solutions.
'To date, we haven't seen any significant levels of violations that would warrant the city taking action against the business,' Layng told CTV News.
City bylaws say noise can't exceed 55 decibels between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Last month, the city installed sound monitoring devices on top of the apartment building to track the noise levels.
'It has gotten to the level where it's close and slightly above,' said Layng. 'But given the location of the monitoring units, it's not significant enough that the city would take action.'
An Agripur rep told CTV News it has operated at the location since 2015 — long before the nearby residential buildings were developed — and says it has taken steps to reduce noise, including shutting down one of its three rooftop condensers overnight.
'We continue to explore additional opportunities to further reduce sound emissions. we also remain committed to working collaboratively with the City of Burnaby and our neighbours to ensure our operations align with community expectations,' the company said in a statement.
Yee says residents are simply asking for peace and quiet.
'We just want to sleep, man. At the end of the day, that's what it comes down to. We just want to get a good night's sleep,' he said.
The City of Burnaby says it will continue monitoring the situation and could levy fines or take further action if bylaws are breached.
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