I am a resident in this…

I am a resident in this community, and I am outside walking my dog a minimum of two to three times a day along Beechgrove Dr. We also frequently go to the playground (in Beechgrove Park) with my son, so I am probably one of the most frequent users of the sidewalks along this street. I would like to express my strong opposition to this proposal.

I can say with great certainty that from both an environmental perspective, an acoustic perspective, and a traffic perspective, that this proposal will have a hugely negative impact on both the community residents, as well as the wildlife that is in the area.

The existing traffic alone is a concern, especially in the early morning pre-school hours, when Beechgrove Drive turns into a drag strip for trucks and employees who work in the businesses along Coronation. Crossing Beechgrove is a major hazard for kids who go to the William Miller and St. Malachy schools on Bennet Rd., even with the button-generated cross lights, which are frequently ignored. An additional 100+ trips from trucks carrying bio waste is a nightmare scenario, with an accident and a pedestrian injury or fatality virtually guaranteed to happen.

Another issue with the increased traffic is that animals who make their home in Beechgrove Park and Highland Creek Park frequently cross this road. I personally have seen (and have taken photos of, if you want to see them) deer, coyotes, and foxes, not to mention your more typical assortment of racoons, skunks, rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks. With an extra 100 trucks careening down this road every day to drop their dangerous payload, it will be just a matter of time until there is an accident with the animals, and a major spill of biohazardous waste onto what is a residential street.

I am not an expert on the methodology for acoustic studies but can tell you that from my bedroom backing onto the houses that are on Beechgrove, the truck noise is already prominent. When they go over a bump, there is a prominent clanking noise generated from the axles that is enough to wake you up, especially if you happen to have a window open. Additional traffic will seriously impact the quality of sleep that the residents get in this neighbourhood.

Even during Covid, turning left or right onto Lawrence Ave from Beechgrove is a huge challenge. With additional 100+ trucks turning to/from Beechgrove, it is an additional hazard that endangers drivers and the pedestrians who cross the intersection to head down to Highland Creek Park. It is already an extremely busy intersection and will get several times worse.

I urge you to reject this proposal. I am personally very environmentally minded and see the benefits of biogas processing, But sticking this facility in the middle of a major residential neighbourhood in the middle of a busy part of the city is a major mistake that will have a hundred times more negative impact on both the local environment as well as the residents than any possible positives that may come of it. Put the facility somewhere away from a residential neighbourhood and close to the highway.

As an aside, it is suspicious that the company whose commercial interests are dependent on the assessments is sponsoring the studies that are used in the evaluation of the proposal. If this proposal is to be considered, I would expect that the residents of the surrounding communities have an opportunity to review an independent assessment (as was done a number of years ago when additional truck traffic was proposed to the waste treatment facility). I am certain that the results will be different. I also took a look at the numbers used in the traffic study and based on my own experience of living in this neighbourhood for a number of years, they are significantly understated.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to comment on this proposal.

I have submitted a copy of this comment to the other proposal # 019-1446