Centennial Community and…

Centennial Community and Recreation Association

RE: 2683517 Ontario Inc. Expansion Proposal
633 Coronation Dr., Scarborough

Mail & Email to:
Hon. Jeff Yurek, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks

Mail & Email copy to:
Hon. Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario
Vijay Thanigasalam, MPP Scarborough Rouge-Park
John Tory, Mayor of Toronto
Jennifer McKelvie, Toronto Councillor Scarborough Rouge-Park

April 23, 2020

On behalf of the residents of Scarborough Rouge-Park, we wish to bring to your attention a serious matter regarding an organic waste treatment and disposal processing plant development application requesting to be located in Scarborough Rouge-Park. The Centennial Community and Recreation Association (CCRA), along with the Highland Creek Community Association and the West Rouge Community Association stand in unison to express grave concerns regarding this application.

This waste treatment and disposal site proposes to accept thousands of tonnes of organic waste from across Ontario to be processed at a facility in Scarborough Rouge-Park. Attached find a copy of a notice sent to some residents residing near the proposed site. Also attached are copies of the Environmental Compliance Approvals submitted by the applicant.

One of our major concerns regarding this application is the omission of public consultation. The public consultation period for the Environmental Compliance Approvals (019-1446 closing May 24, 2020 https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-1446 , and 019-1444 https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-1444 closing May 24, 2020) should be delayed. The current COVID19 crisis prohibits gatherings of people, so that public consultations are not possible. Also, some details of the Environment Compliance Approvals are not online, and can only be viewed by travelling to an office of the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks (which is in contravention to directives issued by the Premier of Ontario).

On March 31, 2020 the CCRA submitted several comments/questions to MPP Vijay Thanigasalam. These comments/questions are noted below.

Public Consultation

Is a public engagement/consultation required? Can one be requested? Who is required to be advised of any public consultations? How does the current COVID19 crisis impact this?

Very important: What is the effect of the recently passed Ontario Regulation 115/20: Temporary Exemptions Relating To Declared Emergency (Environmental Bill of Rights) on any public consultations for this proposed facility?

Truck Traffic

The prediction from the applicant of the truck traffic is alarming. The company estimates that there could be almost 100 incoming and outgoing trucks per day, transporting incoming substrate, outgoing digestate and outgoing inorganics, contamination and waste. These trucks can range in size from 20-25 tons for deliveries, and 34 ton trucks for exporting.

Has an assessment been done to determine the impact of this huge volume of heavy truck traffic on local roads? How will this impact current traffic volume? What will the impact be on the physical deterioration of the roads? There is also an environmental impact of such a huge volume of truck traffic.

The truck volume estimates need clarification. Once a full truck delivers its load to the site, is it filled with outgoing material or does it leave the site empty? If incoming trucks leave the site empty, the company’s truck volume predictions should be drastically increased.

Has a truck travel route been provided by the company? The site borders on residential neighbourhoods with schools, recreation centres, pedestrians/cyclists, etc.

What hours of the day will the trucks be entering and leaving the site?

Organic Material Contents

Exactly what will be transported in and out of the site? What is incoming “substrate”? What is outgoing “digestate”? What is outgoing “inorganics, contamination and waste”?

What anticipated odors will be generated during the unloading of incoming organics as well as during the processing? What is the company going to do to mitigate these odors?

Will any combustible gasses be generated? What are the risks of toxic/hazardous gasses being generated? What will the company do to mitigate this?

The company intends to operate 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. What will the noise impact be to surrounding residential neighbourhoods? Is an environmental noise assessment required? Will a noise assessment be conducted?

The CCRA has communicated the above resident concerns regarding this application to MPP Vijay Thanigasalam, Scarborough Rouge-Park MPP in several emails, as well as in a telephone conversation on March 30, 2020. We have not as yet been provided with requested feedback or follow up response.
On behalf of the residents of Scarborough-Rouge Park, we are requesting that all approvals for this proposal be deferred pending the termination of the Ontario Government’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. Currently under the noted Act, residents are prohibited from meeting together in groups, meeting in person with their elected City and Provincial representatives and meeting with any of the company representatives. This unfairly prevents Scarborough Rouge-River residents from their rights to participating in the decision making process, as well as limiting the amount of transparency over the approval process.

Kathy Rowe – CCRA President Rob Elbertsen- CCRA Planning Chair