Evan Donovan is concerned about the American Iron and Metal (AIM) scrapyard that’s been operating on Toombs Street, near his Moncton home, since March.
“It’s noisy. It’s smelly. You notice it a lot in the summer months. All you can smell in the air is the propane,” he said.
Donovan said he and his wife are unable to open their windows in the summer because of the smell.
Calls to permanently shutter their Saint John location have been ongoing since the Sept. 14 fire that caused a city-wide air quality warning.
“What’s to say it’s not going to happen here? We’re very close to a residential area,” Donovan said.
The fire was one of many safety incidents at the Saint John location.
A coroner’s inquest into the workplace death of an AIM employee wrapped up on Wednesday, when the jury determined Bruce Lagacé’s death was accidental.
AIM has been charged with operating the Moncton scrapyard without a license on May 2023, according to court documents.
Monique Bernard, who also lives near the Toombs Street scrapyard, is frustrated with the situation.
“I think it’s terrible, it’s dangerous. Whoever gave them permission to do this is definitely in the wrong,” she said in an interview on Saturday.
Bernard, who has lived in her home since 2006, has written multiple e-mails about her concerns regarding industrial activity in her neighbourhood.
There is also a bottle exchange facility on the same street, which she said has been creating noise as well as a propane smell for years.
She’s concerned about possible health ramifications for her son.
Bernard said she doesn’t understand why another industrial facility was able to open in the residential area and wants to see the AIM facility moved to the Caledonia Industrial Park.
“I don’t feel I should be bullied out of my house. It’s not me that’s the problem, it’s them. They need to get licensed, and they need to get out of the city,” she said.
Global News reached out to AIM for comment and did not receive a response in time for publication.
Isabelle LeBlanc, spokesperson for the City of Moncton, told Global News via e-mailed statement that the city hadn’t received any complaints specific to the AIM facility.
“The only thing we received was a complaint of debris near the (Humphrey’s Brook) stream last May, but there was no indication as to whether it was (related to the AIM facility) or others in the area.”