I am opposed to this…

I am opposed to this proposal by Terrapure to increase their acceptable waste classes at their
Imperial Street location for the following reasons:

- this company has a very poor track record for Safe Handling of hazardous materials. Unsafe mixing
of chemicals at this location lead to an evacuation of surrounding businesses and injuries caused
to their workers just a couple of years ago. With homes located just a few metres away from
Terrapure on Imperial street, this should be of grave concern. While the Ministry imposed of fine
on the company in 2017, the public has no assurance that this will not happen again. It is fair for
the public to assume that the risk for this happening again increases when the company is allowed
to receive more hazardous materials

- some of the new waste classes that Terrapure has applied to receive at this facility are very
dangerous substances including banned pesticides, benzene and toluene. It is strange to many of us
in the community that the company can use its own Eco-Safe certification process, one that is
proprietary to them. If they are creating their own standard of checks and balances, what is to
stop them from lowering those standards if they are self-imposed?

- at a community consultation meeting that was held at the community's request, none of the staff
present was able to explain to any of the community members what any of the chemicals actually are
as included in these so-called waste classes. Instead, a series of numbers pertaining to
multisyllabic chemical references were given to us, leaving the onus on community members to
interpret what each of these chemicals does, its origin, potential risk factors and so on. Even
when asked to be somewhat transparent with the community, these are not the actions of a company
with the public's best interest in mind. 

Local residents do not feel safe with the proposed changes to Terrapure's operations on Imperial
Street because the company has not demonstrated its care and concern for the community.