About a dozen residents braved the rain Friday to demonstrate out front of a landfill in Stoney Creek, Ont., they allege is emitting a “terrible odour” that’s been wafting through their neighbourhood for months.
The gathering comes a day after the city’s medical officer of health insisted there were “no public health hazards” connected with hydrogen sulphide detected in the air around the GFL facility on Green Mountain Road.
Resident Kathleen Taylor says despite the findings, she’s not about to abandon a goal of forcing the closure of the facility through an awareness campaign.
“I can’t open my windows,” Taylor said.
“You open your window and you never know at what point in time you’re going to have that stink coming. We’ve all been stuck, literally trapped inside of our houses.”
Taylor says she’s been disappointed with the city’s evaluation, which continues to report “no imminent public health hazard.”
In an update Thursday, medical officer Dr. Elizabeth Richardson revealed that public health is exploring options to provide independent, third-party air monitoring in the area.
It comes after a recent second assessment from the ministry that included air sampling during additional morning and evening time periods not sampled in August air quality tests.
Those measurements, taken by the Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP), revealed “no violations” but the staff conceded in a report that odours from hydrogen sulphide gas can “cause stress” and affect one’s “quality of life.”
Tests over six different days between Sept. 1 and 29 around a leachate pond and the GFL grounds did record odours described as “garbage, chemical, burnt, rotten eggs and perfume-like.”
The MECP did recommend “the need for continuous” sulphide monitoring after the area exceeded acceptable levels of the colourless gas in 29 instances.
Ministry inspectors say the matter is now being referred to an inspection and enforcement division.
The ministry has also asked the facility to enhance public communications via weekly written status updates on the GFL facility website.
Another update is expected to come before a committee in the coming weeks.
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