Contentious Ottawa recycling facility completes environmental review

OTTAWA (Scrap Monster):  The Ministry review for the proposed waste collection and recycling facility near Ottawa has come to an end. The Capital Region Resource Recovery Centre has announced that the review process under Ontario’s Environmental Assessment laws has ended. Also, public comment period for ministry review has ended on May 20, 2016.

Taggart-Miller project

The integrated waste management facility is more popularly known as Taggart-Miller project, a joint venture between Taggart Investments-a local construction company and Miller Waste Systems-a subsidiary of the holding company Miller Group which undertakes road construction and transportation management projects. The proposed facility intends to collect and recycle construction waste. No household trash will be processed at the facility. The facility is supposed to serve Ottawa and regions extending to portions of eastern Ontario. The facility is to be located on the east side of Boundary Road, north of Devine Road and west of Frontier Road, just southeast of the Boundary Road / Highway 417 interchange in eastern Ottawa.

Potential sites

Taggart-Miller has secured two potential sites for development of the proposed project. First site, the the North Russell Road Site, is located in the northwest part of the Township of Russell and consists of 193 hectares on Part of Lots 18 and 19, Concessions III and IV, Township of Russell. The second site, the Boundary Road Site, is located in the east part of the City of Ottawa and consists of 175 hectares of land on Lots 23 to 25, Concession XI, Township of Cumberland.

Protests by residents and groups

The nearby resident organizations and environmental activists have initiated a campaign titled ‘Dump This Dump 2’ in protest against the proposed facility. According to them, the partnership companies plan to use the site as a landfill where trash from companies having waste disposal contracts with Miller will be dumped. Dump This Dump 2 has urged the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change to reject the proposal.

According to them, the project is considered to be self-serving for Taggart, as it will save millions of dollars in tipping fees for them. Recently, the Green Party of Ontario Leader, Mike Schreiner, had joined the two local community groups, DumpthisDump2 and DumptheDumpNow, who fight against the facility. Schreiner noted that there are too many unanswered questions about the risks of the project. The facility would ultimately transform North Russell into a wasteland containing millions of tonnes of toxic waste, said the protestors.

Environmental Concerns

The protestors argue that the EA has failed to address important environmental concerns. There are chances that the surface and ground water be contaminated as a result of the facility. Incidentally, most residents and farmlands depend on surface wells for their water needs. Also, residents are concerned about the contaminants that may likely be released by the landfill.

Jobs

According to Taggart-Miller, the proposed facility is expected to create nearly 30 jobs. However, opposing groups argue that all the better jobs are likely to go to outside persons as they require specific skills. Most of the promised jobs will be low-paying and dangerous, they said.

About Taggart Investments Inc.

Taggart Investments Inc. is a highly regarded Ottawa-based family owned business which was founded in 1948.  The organization has grown to consist of four major operating companies (Tamarack Homes, Doran Contractors, Taggart Realty Management and Taggart Construction Ltd.) employing over 350 staff and providing diversified services to a broad public and private sector client base.  Taggart Construction Ltd. is Eastern Ontario’s largest civil works contractor specializing in underground and municipal infrastructure construction.

About Miller Waste Systems Inc.

Miller Waste Systems Inc. is part of The Miller Group, a privately owned diversified Canadian Company that, since 1916, has provided the public and private sectors in North America with road construction and rehabilitation, waste management and recycling services, transit operations, and aggregate-based materials, asphalt, cement and ready-mix concrete products.  Starting in 1961 in Markham, Miller Waste Systems currently is a diverse waste management services provider in Ontario, Manitoba and the Maritimes operates over 450 collection vehicles and has over 850 employees.