Departure of chicken plant ‘huge win-win-win’ for Calgary neighbourhood

Calgarians who live in the inner-city neighbourhood of Ramsay were celebrating a ‘breath of fresh air’ Friday.

After decades of complaining about the Lilydale chicken processing plant, the facility will soon be moving out of the community.

“I’m happy they’re moving,” longtime Ramsay resident Darrel Larsen said. “There’s always chicken feathers in our yard.”

Since opening in 1943, the Lilydale plant has brought many complaints.

“There’s always the smell, the ‘Lilydale smell’- it’s part of Ramsay” Ramsay Community Association director Erin Joslin said. “and the semi trucks, coming in and out of the neighbourhod.”

During his 20 years living across the street from the Lilydale plant, Larsen has also been disturbed by the truck traffic – “They kick up a ton of dust.”

That will soon come to an end, with the city councillor who respresents the area outlining plans for Lilydale’s departure.

“We are taking the largest chicken abattoir in Alberta and we’re moving it to a brand new state-of-the-art facility that can grow and grow and grow,” Ward 9 Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra said.

“Which hits all of our economic diversification targets: it’s an ag business, it’s a value-added ag business, it keeps the jobs and the tax base in the city — it’s just a huge win-win-win.”

Lilydale’s move to a Calgary industrial area makes way for the construction of the Green Line LRT project through the site.

The City has purchased the site and will be taking over the property on January 15. Then it will start looking at other options alongside the transit line.

“I look forward to new plans for this to be developed,” Ramsay resident Jeanette Beskorovayny said adding that in a way that will enhance the community.