Saskatchewan’s fasting-growing municipality is preparing for potential legal battles as it fights off a compost facility coming to the rural municipality of Edenwold.
The City of Pilot Butte, outside Regina, claims the municipality was left out of consultations for the project and is threatening legal action.
The Chief Administrative Officer for Pilot Butte said concerns of noise, odours and rodents were brought up as the compost facility would be over a kilometre northwest of the city.
“When we found out about this, it was actually quite late,” said Allen Mullen. “So, they didn’t do a public consultation, which they’re saying they don’t need to because it’s a permitted use.”
Mullen said the City of Regina gave a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the compost facility which will have nothing to do with Pilot Butte.
“We were not brought in on anything. In fact, it’s us now asking questions of the RM and we’re not getting answers,” said Mullen. “So now we’ve done public consultation with our residents, and they’re quite concerned and alarmed that it’s even gotten to this point without any of us knowing about it.”
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Evergen is a company that operates as a renewable natural gas infrastructure platform that serves customers across Canada. They are the company that is planning on building the compost facility. The Evergen director of organics said the City of Regina put out an RFP asking interested parties in the waste management industry about the waste project for the whole city.
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“They didn’t provide a site (and) they said the proponent had to find a suitably zoned industrial site,” said Mateo Ocejo. “They didn’t provide a site. They said the proponent had to find a suitably zoned industrial site.
“And so, we went out and found this site. We looked at many different sites. I’d say there were about a half dozen suitably zoned and sized industrial sites that were available. But the closer we could be to the landfill, the better.”
Ocejo said in its 20-year history, they have never had an odour complaint and that the facility will be water negative which means it will use recyclable water and expelled water would not go back into the city’s main waterlines.
“We don’t have these other problems. I think once people come to see the facility, it really goes a long way to change their opinion on what it’s going to be,” said Ocejo.
And for the rodent concerns, Ocejo said it would be taken care of by local exterminators.
The RM will meet on July 25th for its next council meeting.
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