MONTREAL – The early municipal election campaign has pushed the hot-button issue of Montreal’s much delayed organic waste collection has been pushed to the forefront.
Yves-François Blanchet, Quebec’s environment minister, has now backed mayoral hopeful Denis Coderre’s opposition to building a compost treatment plant in St-Michel.
Coderre was reported saying Wednesday that if elected he would cancel plans to build one of four compost treatment plants at the St-Michel Environmental Complex.
He is claiming that it comes down to choice of site, saying that residents are now enjoying a peaceful park on a site that was once a noisy dump.
They fear that noise and frequent truck traffic will return if the composting site opens in St-Michel.
They have already started demonstrating and voicing their opinion on the matter stating simply that the compost centre is not welcome there.
“We recognize the efforts made by the city of Montreal to identify adequate sites, but we must recognize that the social acceptance is simply not there in the case of the St-Michel Environmental Complex,” said Blanchet in support of Coderre.
“I don’t wish to approve a project that has clearly been rejected by the population and by the elected officials of the sector.”
When the site was put to a vote last February, 47 out of 51 votes were for St-Michel.
Yet, it was was former executive committee member Alan DeSousa, now running for re-election with Coderre’s team, who spearheaded the choice of the St-Michel Environmental Complex.
“At the time, there seemed to be general agreement that this site was appropriate,” DeSousa said.
Coderre meanwhile, claimed the minister’s quick endorsement of his position on the issue shows that as mayor of Montreal, he would have the ear of those in power in Quebec City.
Projet Montréal leader Richard Bergeron has denounced Coderre for his position on the issue, saying it shows Coderre does not understand Montreal issues.
“Abandoning the St-Michel site will further slow Montreal’s compost collection plan, which is already years behind other major North American cities,” he told La Presse Wednesday.
“The compost treatment centres are required if the city is to meet provincially imposed deadlines to reduce waste volumes.”
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