Dear Sir/Madame, I write…

Dear Sir/Madame,
I write concerning the Bio En proposal to expand its operations in Elmira, Ontario. I have seen the information boards displayed for the public last week and have spoken with the owner, the manager, and one of the administration.

Firstly let me say that I admire and am grateful for the service this business provides in reusing waste to create energy. There have been no smell or spill complaints from the site. I applaud what BioEn is doing and think there should be lots more of this type of small operation, reusing our waste, all over the province. However, sadly, I can not support this proposed expansion.

Elmira took a huge environmental hit for the province when our gorgeous, clean aquifer was contaminated by the chemical industry. We lost our water independence. Now, 30 years later, local volunteers continue meeting with water scientists and company officials every month to monitor the progress in the 100-year-clean-up of the Canagagigue Creek. Holding this historic knowledge through Ministry and company management changes has been a burden. So although I support the goals of Bio-En, our resources are stretched from historic missteps.

Of specific concern is the number of trucks running down the two main streets of our small rural town.
The trucks are huge; you'd not want an unattended eight year old standing next to one at a stop light. And you'd not want to be the one explaining to that curious eight year old, the constituents of the bloody juice driving from the load.
With the weight they carry, these trucks contribute to foundation damage in older homes and commercial properties along their routes. We have hundreds of trucks running through our downtown core every day and honestly, we can't take anymore. Large, smelly trucks driving through our downtown core has been a burden. Yes, we've been promised a bypass for 2042.

Our community has spent thousands of dollars in consultant fees and hundreds of hours in volunteer time, to create a plan to revitalize our downtown core. We have suffered without any trees or vegetation, particularly on Arthur Street, for years, awaiting the annually postponed Region of Waterloo resurfacing. The delays almost span a decade now and in the meantime, there has been no vegetation to absorb the traffic pollution. Increasing pollution with more big trucks is not a wise direction.

The smell and distinctive taste of the traffic pollution is awful for those who would like to shop locally. On the extreme heat days, the downtown, once shaded and cool, is now an asphalt desert with few shoppers in sight. Pop up a sun umbrella and take the kids downtown for an ice cream? The exhaust smells, dust and metals are dangerous; the exhaust magnetites are now known to go straight from nostrils to the brains of kids, seniors, and everyone else, bypassing the blood and lungs. deliberately allowing more fossil fuelled truck traffic would increase negative health affects and reduce economic activity.

Another major economic factor in our community is the Old Order Mennonite farming community. They are a beloved and essential part of our daily world on many levels , well beyond the economy. Horses and buggies are getting crowded out by big trucks in Elmira. I have Old Order friends who have changed their banking, doctor, dentist, grocer, from Elmira to towns further from them, but more hospitable to horse and buggy transport. More, not less, hospitable to the Old Order Mennonite community is the direction we wish to grow.

As to some sort of 'administrative error' re: the allowed number of trucks in the original agreement, all I can say is that the agreement was examined thoughtfully by the Woolwich Township lawyers, the citizens' group lawyers, and the Bio-En lawyers. None of these three groups found this administrative error in the final agreement, which is still online. I might add that the $15K price tag for the citizens' lawyers, was paid out of pocket by two local couples and one other local. As you might imagine, with $5K of your savings on the line, the details of the final agreement were scrutinized. I'd suggest that the administrative error may be on the mind of one party only.

There is no upside for our community to support this expansion. We are still doing our bit and more, with the loss and subsequent monitoring of our independent water source, to poor chemical industry practices. I reject the expansion proposal as it will be at a cost to our small town, rural community, the health of our residents, and the health of our economy.