An odour management bylaw is being pitched as one of the latest tools Metro Vancouver may use to deal with odour complaints associated with the West Coast Reduction rendering plant.

The idea was discussed at a community meeting hosted by Metro Vancouver at the Wise Hall in Grandview-Woodland Tuesday night.

Dozens of neighbourhood residents have spent years arguing that the rendering plant, located at the north end of Commercial Drive, creates an unacceptable stink that worsens in summer months.

The company maintains it's not responsible for all the odour complaints and that only a small portion of residents has complained.

Metro Vancouver organized Tuesday's meeting to explain its newest odour-control strategies. It attracted about 50 residents, including staff from West Coast Reduction, Coun. Heather Deal, who sits on Metro Vancouver's environment and energy committee, and Vancouver-Hastings MLA Shane Simpson.

Ray Robb, Metro Vancouver's regulation and enforcement division manager, plans to report to the regional district's environment and energy committee July 13 about his intention to draft an odour management bylaw for the board's consideration. It would not be specific to West Coast Reduction, but would address all odour issues in the region.

Metro Vancouver tried, but failed, to deal with odour complaints linked by residents to West Coast Reduction by amending the rendering plant's air emission permit through limiting odour units--a method accepted in the European Union. Each year the limits were to become stricter, but both the company and residents appealed the 2007 and 2008 amendments to the province's Environmental Appeal Board.

The board ruled in March that Metro Vancouver's district director (Robb) had exceeded his jurisdiction when he issued the 2007 and 2008 amendments and that his imposition of the odour limits was unreasonable and unenforceable.

If the Metro Vancouver board adopts a bylaw, however, odour units can be included and the bylaw can't be appealed through the Environmental Appeal Board. But it can be challenged in court and the Minister of the Environment can overturn it.

Robb expects the company will challenge whatever Metro Vancouver's next move is.

"We know whatever we do will be poked at and it won't be perfect," he told residents.

Robb said he's also considering introducing technology-based amendments in the plant's 2010 air emission permit now that odour units can't be used.

He said complaints increased in 2009, prompting him to introduce stricter odour limits in January of 2010 before the March EAB decision. "We still believe because of the circumstances in 2009 it was necessary to amend the permit in 2010 because the situation had deteriorated. We feel the 2010 permit must stand but we need to put something in it," Robb explained, while acknowledging any amendment will likely be appealed by the company.

Metro Vancouver also wants to better document complaints from residents to address the appeal board's conclusions that only a handful of residents are complaining and it's unclear whether West Coast Reduction is entirely to blame.

Metro Vancouver is consulting with experts on how to best document impacts in the community and how to reach residents who are bothered by the smell, but don't typically complain.

One resident suggested doing a block-by-block, house-by-house survey, but Robb pointed out Metro Vancouver has to walk a "fine line" so as not to be accused of artificially creating an issue.

Blair Redlin, one of the resident appellants in the EAB case, complained about the slow pace of solving odour complaints and wondered why Metro Vancouver hadn't already drafted a bylaw considering the appeal board decision was handed down in March. "We're already into the summer stink season. We're grateful the weather has been cool," he said.

noconnor@vancourier.com