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| The Ottawa Citizen |
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Tuesday, April 24, 2007 |
| Residents have dealt responsibly with landfill Re: Garbage in, garbage out, April 20. There is one point in Ken Gray's column that I agree with, but unfortunately it is only found in the lead paragraph: "A little bit of knowledge goes a long way." You're right, Mr. Gray. The rest reads like an uninformed rant of an individual displaying the same NIMBY attitude he has accused west-end communities of having. Over the past year Stittsville, West Carleton and Kanata residents have opposed the expansion of the Carp Road landfill in a meaningful and rational manner. This group of informed, dedicated volunteers have drafted educated, in-depth responses to Waste Management's terms of reference, have risen to the challenge of researching all aspects of waste disposal, and have spoken out in one strong voice to demand better and find a long-term, sustainable solution for all Ottawa residents. At the end of February, a group of residents won the right to appeal the expansion of on-site facilities at the Carp Road landfill, mainly the second flare, which Waste Management had put in place in an effort to combat "fugitive" odours. The Environmental Review Tribunal's report states that it finds the adverse effect caused by odour from the facility is causing discomfort to local residents and loss of enjoyment of their normal use of property. Recently the Ministry of Environment forwarded the odour issue to the ministry's investigation and enforcement branch. Depending on the results of the ministry's investigation, the company could be subject to a conviction and fines. The ministry has already concluded that there is a serious and unacceptable off-site odour problem from this facility. I find it disheartening that the condition of this site has been recognized as unacceptable by both the Environmental Review Tribunal and the Ministry of Environment, yet a Citizen columnist makes a mockery out of a struggle being faced by many of your readers. This landfill does not make sense in our backyard and we in the west end are not suggesting it would make sense in yours either. Don't you agree that a first-class city like Ottawa deserves better? Shad Qadri, Ottawa, Councillor, Stittsville-Kanata West © The Ottawa Citizen 2007 |
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