I am a close neighbour to…

I am a close neighbour to the Stubbes Plant at 44 Muir Line, Harley, Ontario. I have been a neighbour since the plant was small and localized on Harley Road. Over the past 10 years, this plant has grown mammoth in size and should not have been allowed to do so in a residential/agricultural zoned area. To enable this mammoth growth, the company purchased a neighbouring agriculture zoned property instead of an Industrial zoned property and the County of Brant council allowed the re-zoning without concern for the residents. Now, the company has purchased another adjacent 200 acre farm and has applied to the county to rezone the land from agriculture to industrial to further expand their hazardous activities.

Our 100+ year village of New Durham borders on the plant itself and farms with crops, livestock and poultry also border on the plant. The obvious contamination to human, livestock, poultry, wildlife and crops is astronomical. Pursuant to ERO # 019-7008 Ministry reference number 6060-CPYKRQ, the contaminant emissions to the air from this facility include: Portland cement, respirable silica, fly ash, potassium oxide, calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and other products of combustion. The activities carried out by this facility include recycling of cement from other construction activities. Some of this cement is of unknown age and could include possible unknown contaminants that may have been compliant years ago but may not pass approvals today (lead, etc.).

I note that the facility has submitted a proposal under ERO number 025-1424, Ministry reference number 5925-DNEHJZ which includes the following additional emissions: chromium, nickel, manganese, ferric oxide but does not include respirable silica. What happened with the respirable silica? The facility performs the same functions. Also, the list of emissions to a residential/farming community are horrendous! This is akin to a heavy industrial operation and is not appropriate in a residential area.

I have several videos of dust blowing from the storage piles and/or from the crushing and recycling of the concrete. The dust likely contains all of the air emissions of which humans/livestock/wildlife/fowl, etc. breathe in on a regular basis. Also, the dust settles onto the neighbouring crops for ingestion by humans/livestock/wildlife/fowl. Ground water runoff likely contaminates the many private wells and the creek that runs parallel to the facility and across the fields leading to water contamination fed by (and possibly feeds) the Grand River via the creek that runs through their properties. Dust from the facility settles onto our properties and is visible on outdoor furniture, trees, vehicles, etc. There is no doubt the air and water is contaminated and not suited for life.