That familiar smell of canola is likely something every Lloydminster resident is used to at this point.
Read more: Column: New year, same old me
When I first arrived in the Border City I couldn’t quite place what the smell was until someone pointed out, “Oh, it’s the canola plant.”
Since then, I’ve honestly paid no mind to the smell, but it was always a marvel to drive by the large facility in the industrial park. Fresh into the new year, I’ve been reading up on some local history and the interesting case of the canola plant crossed my mind.
The industrial park was developed in the 1970s. Prior to this development, industry was scattered around Lloydminster. United Oilseeds Products built a canola crushing plant in the park in 1975 and it created 75 new jobs.
Canola was a relatively new cash-crop to farmers and added to the local economy. Unfortunately for the thriving plant it wasn’t always smooth sailing. When the cooking oil market tightened, the plant had limited options as it only produced raw unrefined oil. The plant faced several years of successive losses in the eighties.
In a tale as old as time, the City of Lloydminster took an active role in lobbying the federal government. Special meetings were hosted in Lloyd where deputy prime minister Don Mazankowski helped resolve the barriers to the successful operation of the plant.
In 1991, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) purchased the plant. The canola crush increased from 750 tonnes to 2,000 tonnes per day. That now familiar canola smell was the cause of concern just a few years later for area residents.
A petition was signed by a few hundred Border City residents asking Alberta Environment to investigate the odorous emissions coming from the canola plant. After investigating the complaint, Alberta Environment Protection issued a control order, requiring the company to reduce the smells coming from the facility.
The company did enact measures to comply with the order, which satisfied the government, although residents were still concerned and voiced their opposition, even going as far as to oppose the construction of an addition to the plant.
Despite the ups and downs of the canola plant, it still remains an integral part of the Lloydminster business world. Today ADM operates a dedicated canola crush facility and integrated biodiesel plant in the Border City with over 100 employees and annual capacity exceeding 320-million litres.
Thankfully, some good planning by the City of Lloydminster established the industrial park and even if the smell of canola is potent in the area, residential areas in other parts of the city won’t be as impacted.
Most importantly, Canola continues to be a big player in Lloydminster and Saskatchewan and there’s a continued commitment to seeing it continue as a viable industry.
Also, as a footnote, Happy New Year, hopefully your holidays were relaxing. I look forward to what 2026 has to bring and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of interesting stories ahead.
Read more: Column: A holiday on the horizon
