A popular Campbell River fish and chip shop has been declared a nuisance by city council because of a “disturbing” odour that comes from the exhaust system.
Mike Sell, who lives next door to Dick’s Fish and Chips, said the smell of deep-fried fish can be “putrid” at times. “As in, abandon ship. Leave the area. Do not go home.”
The restaurant’s exhaust system vents into an area about 20 feet below his bedroom window, and the strength of the smell depends on how busy the restaurant is and how the wind blows, he said.
“If it’s a Friday afternoon and it’s a little bit of southeast wind or something, then I’m going to have a good day. But if it’s Saturday afternoon, and he’s busy, and it’s a little bit of a westerly, then it’s close the windows. Don’t go on the deck,” Sell said.
Sell said he no longer invites guests to socialize on his deck during the afternoons and evenings because of the smell, and he bought an air conditioning unit so he can keep his windows closed in the summer.
He said he has two neighbours who are also affected by the smell, but neither experiences it as strongly as he does at his property.
Sell has complained to the city about the smell for several years and said he was happy to see council bring in requirements for the restaurant to mitigate the smell.
Council voted last week to declare the odour a nuisance and require the restaurant to adhere to maintenance requirements. The restaurant must replace charcoal filters at least once a week, replace fryer cooking oil at least every three days or sooner if it begins to smoke, and fully clean the fryer exhaust system at least once a month.
A written record must be kept of the cleaning and replacements and can be requested by a bylaw officer.
Council adopted odour regulations in 2017 following complaints about smell after the restaurant moved to its current location on Island Highway in 2016. The smell comes from airborne cooking particulates that may become lodged in the exhaust system, a city staffer said by email.
The city has received numerous complaints about the odour and fines have been issued.
“The odour has, at times, been objectionable to the extent that a reasonable person experiencing it would not want to remain in the area,” the staffer said.
Owner Dick Tansley said the situation is frustrating.
“We’re doing our very, very best we can to control the issue,” he said.
Tansley said he has been cleaning and replacing the parts specified in the requirements from the city but not quite as regularly as now required. Increasing the frequency of cleaning the full exhaust system will cost upwards of $500 per month, he said.
“It’s expensive, but we’re going to do it,” he said.
Tansley said he doesn’t understand why the restaurant was allowed to move into its current location if smell was going to be an issue. He spent about $30,000 to put the exhaust system in initially when the restaurant relocated.
It had been in the marina next to the Quadra Island ferry for 14 years until its lease ran out in 2015.
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