City of Hamilton charged for reportedly allowing foul smell to emanate from composting facility
Published November 27, 2020 at 10:35 am
The City of Hamilton faces charges issued by the province’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) in relation to the smell of the city’s Central Composting Facility.
In a press release issued by the CIty on Thursday (Nov. 25), the City says it and several of its contractors received a summons from MECP over 2018 complaints about the foul odours coming from the facility, located on Burlington Street in East Hamilton.
In the summer of 2018, the facility was forced to close down for months after numerous complaints about the smells coming from the plant from people who lived and worked in nearby neighbourhoods and beyond.
At the time, MECP was called in to investigate. The findings of that investigation appear to be informing the charges laid this week.
“As per the summons, the City and several contractors have been charged with discharging or permitting the discharge of a contaminant (odour) contrary to the Environmental Protection Act,” the press release says.
“As such, the City is required to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice on February 3, 2021.”
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Representatives from the City of Hamilton are scheduled to appear in court in February after which the City Council will be briefed and a public update on the court proceedings will be provided.
The facility, which is operated by Aim Environmental Group, reopened in February 2019 after several upgrades to the facility and procedural and operational overhauls were made.
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