This plant has no place near…

This plant has no place near residential areas whereby upwards of 100 heavy trucks per day will be driving up to 6 kilometres through those areas to get to and from the 401 highway. The noise, emissions and smells will greatly impact the environment of the surrounding area and the large trucks that will be necessary will have an adverse effect on the health of the residents, as well as drive down real estate values in the neigbourhood. There is already a heavy volume of trucks from the surrounding chemical industries, the sewage plant, water treatment plant and various other businesses in the area.

The operation is 24/7/365. These large trucks, carrying organic waste material inbound and mainly fertilizer outbound and which will not be adequately contained, will make spills and accidents very dangerous to those along the routes. The exhaust from the trucks will add to the pollution in the area and increase the concentrations of greenhouse gases. There are at least nine schools along the various routes that the trucks must pass, as well as several busy shopping malls and at least one large nursing home. The people along these routes deserve to have a voice.

How can the proponent claim that by adding at least 100 truck trips per day the effect on local traffic will not be an issue? Their statement that “Given that the area is zoned for heavy industrial use, it is not anticipated that increased truck traffic will cause a nuisance.” is not to be taken as factual. It simply expresses an opinion which is biased. If this statement goes unchallenged then it will be assumed that it is an established statement of fact.

Zoning is split with the back part of the operation zoned ‘Heavy Industrial’ (EH) and the front part of the operation zoned Commercial (E). Why is the total operation including trucking in and out of the site not included in any assessment that extends beyond the EH boundary.

The proposal must be evaluated based on the totality of its operations and trucking is part of those operations.

Signed,

A Concerned Resident