Sofina Foods Inc. - Environmental Compliance Approval (air)

Instrument type: Environmental Compliance Approval (air)

ERO number
019-0967
Ministry reference number
9197-BHUT7G
Notice type
Instrument
Act
Environmental Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990
Posted by
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Notice stage
Decision
Decision posted
Comment period
November 29, 2019 - January 13, 2020 (45 days) Closed
Last updated

This consultation was open from:
November 29, 2019
to January 13, 2020

Decision summary

An amended Environmental Compliance Approval with Limited Operational Flexibility (Air & Noise) has been granted to Sofina Foods Inc., a turkey processing facility located in the Municipality of West Perth, Ontario.

Location details

Site address

5921 Frank Street
Mitchell, ON
N0K 1N0
Canada

Site location map

The location pin reflects the approximate area where environmental activity is taking place.

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Proponent(s)

Sofina Foods Inc.
5921 Frank Street
West Perth, ON
N0K 1N0
Canada

Decision details

An amended Environmental Compliance Approval with Limited Operational Flexibility (Air & Noise), which replaces all the current Environmental Compliance Approvals for Air and Noise at this facility, and includes the addition of new, or historically unapproved, sources for all emissions has been granted to Sofina Foods Inc., a turkey processing facility located in the Municipality of West Perth, Ontario.

The application includes all sources at the facility, including:

  • four (4) exhaust systems serving a stunner chamber
  • one (1) exhaust serving a chemical storage room
  • two (2) wet cooling towers
  • three (3) natural gas fired hot water heaters
  • general exhaust systems
  • maximum three (3) refrigerated trucks operating at the site, each using a diesel fueled refrigeration unit
  • maintenance welding and other supporting operations

Emissions to the air from this facility include:

  • suspended particulate matter
  • nitrogen oxides
  • carbon dioxide
  • hydrogen peroxide
  • peracetic acid
  • acetic acid

The Environmental Compliance Approval with Limited Operational Flexibility (Air & Noise) permits modifications to the facility subject to limits on operational flexibility that include a production limit for the facility to be specified on the Environmental Compliance Approval with Limited Operational Flexibility (Air & Noise).

The limited operational flexibility conditions have an expiry date. The company will be required to make an application for amendment at that time to renew these conditions.

Comments received

Through the registry

8

By email

0

By mail

0
View comments submitted through the registry

Effects of consultation

Eight electronic comments were received during the posting period.

Five comments were not related to the application (off-topic).

In general, commenters expressed concerns about increasing production/emission levels from the site and a potential negative health impact related to these increased. Additionally, commenters expressed some concerns related to accessibility of the application data.

Ministry response:

Proposals for Environmental Compliance Approval for Air and Noise (ECA) undergo detailed technical review to determine whether or not they comply with the requirements related to Section 9 of the Environmental Protection Act (s. 9 EPA). Approvals are only issued if all of these requirements are satisfied.

Submitted proposal satisfies requirements set in s. 9 EPA.

Comments received were reviewed and where appropriate were considered in the ministry's decision whether or not to proceed with this proposal. In this case, the comments are consistent with concerns within the ministry and as a result terms and conditions have been added.

The terms and conditions do not represent all conditions in the ECA, but are those related to the comments on the proposal.

1. Increasing production and emission rates from the site and potential health impact of these increases.

Ministry response:

The proposal does not include any increase of production/emission rates from the site. The proposal is to comply with s. 9 EPA requirement and to verify compliance with Regulation 419/05 point of impingement concentration (POI) limits.

Based on the ESDM Report and all supporting information received, the proposal meets the ministry requirements.

The production limit (based on the previous ECA) has been included in the ECA. The facility is not allowed to operates above stated production limit.

2. Access to application data.

Ministry response:

The application was marked as a confidential. In general, any access to confidential documents, such as the ESDM Report marked as "confidential" can be requested through the Freedom of Information Office. No requests were submitted to FOI Office to disclose information included in the facility application/ESDM report within EBR comments period.

Supporting materials

View materials in person

Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.

Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.

How to Appeal

This instrument decision can be appealed. You have 15 days from April 22, 2020 to begin the appeal process.

Carefully review the information below to learn more about the appeal process.

How to appealClick to Expand Accordion

For instrument decisions published on or after June 1, 2021, please refer to the updated instructions for information on how to appeal a decision.

Appeal process for decisions published before June 1, 2021

If you’re an Ontario resident, you can start the process to appeal this instrument decision.

First, you’ll need to seek leave (i.e. get permission) from the relevant appellate body to appeal the decision.

If the appellate body grants leave, the appeal itself will follow.

Seek leave to appeal

To seek leave to appeal, you need to do these three things:

  1. prepare your application
  2. provide notice to the minister
  3. mail your application to three parties

1. Prepare your application

You’ll need to prepare an application. You may wish to include the following things in your application:

  1. A document that includes:
    • your name, phone number, fax number (if any), and/or email address
    • the ERO number and ministry reference number (located on this page)
    • a statement about whether you are a resident in Ontario
    • your interest in the decision, and any facts you want taken into account in deciding whether you have an interest in the decision
    • the parts of the instrument that you’re challenging
    • whether the decision could result in significant harm to the environment
    • the reason(s) why you believe that no reasonable person – having regard to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind – could have made the decision
    • the grounds (facts) you’ll be using to appeal
    • the outcome you’d like to see
  2. A copy of the instrument (approval, permit, order) that you you are seeking leave to appeal. You’ll find this in the decision notice on the Environmental Registry
  3. Copies of all supporting documents, facts and evidence that you’ll be using to appeal
What is considered

The appeal body will consider the following two questions in deciding whether to grant you leave to appeal:

  1. is there is good reason to believe that no reasonable person, with respect to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind, could have made the decision?
  2. could the decision you wish to appeal result in significant harm to the environment?

2. Provide your notice

You’ll need to provide notice to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks that you’re seeking leave to appeal.

In your notice, please include a brief description of the:

  • decision that you wish to appeal
  • grounds for granting leave to appeal

You can provide notice by email at minister.mecp@ontario.ca or by mail at:

College Park 5th Floor, 777 Bay St.
Toronto, ON 
M7A 2J3

3. Mail your application

You’ll need to mail your application that you prepared in step #1 to each of these three parties:

  • appellate body
  • issuing authority (the ministry official who issued the instrument)
  • proponent (the company or individual to whom the instrument was issued)

Issuing authority
Rudolf Wan
Manager - Air Approvals

Environmental Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Ave W
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
Canada

416-992-4379

Proponent(s)

Sofina Foods Inc.
5921 Frank Street
West Perth, ON
N0K 1N0
Canada


Appellate body

Environmental Review Tribunal
Attention: The Secretary
655 Bay Street
Floor 15
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1E5
(416) 212-6349
(866) 448-2248
OLT.Registrar@ontario.ca

About the Environmental Review Tribunal


Include the following:

ERO number
019-0967
Ministry reference number
9197-BHUT7G

This is not legal advice. Please refer to the Environmental Bill of Rights for exact legal requirements. Consult a lawyer if you need help with the appeal process.

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Original proposal

ERO number
019-0967
Ministry reference number
9197-BHUT7G
Notice type
Instrument
Act
Environmental Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990
Posted by
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Proposal posted

Comment period

November 29, 2019 - January 13, 2020 (45 days)

Proposal details

This proposal is for an ECA with Limited Operational Flexibility (Air), which replaces all the current ECA for Air at this facility, and includes the addition of new, or historically unapproved, sources for all emissions from Sofina Foods Inc., a turkey processing facility located in the Municipality of West Perth, Ontario.

The application includes all sources at the facility including:

  • four (4) exhaust systems serving a stunner chamber
  • one (1) exhaust serving a chemical storage room
  • two (2) wet cooling towers
  • three (3) natural gas fired hot water heaters
  • general exhaust systems
  • maximum three (3) refrigerated trucks operating at the site, each using a diesel fueled refrigeration unit, and maintenance welding and other supporting operations

Emissions to the air from this facility include:

  • suspended particulate matter
  • nitrogen oxides
  • carbon dioxide
  • hydrogen peroxide
  • peracetic acid
  • acetic acid

The ECA with Limited Operational Flexibility (Air), when issued, permits modifications to the facility subject to limits on operational flexibility that include a production limit for the facility to be specified on the ECA with Limited Operational Flexibility (Air). The limited operational flexibility conditions have an expiry date. The company will be required to make an application for amendment at that time to renew these conditions.

Supporting materials

View materials in person

Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.

Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.

Comment

Commenting is now closed.

This consultation was open from November 29, 2019
to January 13, 2020

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