Ontario Community Newspapers

Oakville Beaver, 20 Jun 2007, p. 7

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday June 20, 2007 - 7 Region shelves EFW plan By Melanie Hennessey SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Local environmentalists were all smiles last week after a regional committee unanimously supported taking the controversial energy-from-waste (EFW) proposal off the table -- at least for now. After hearing from the residents largely concerned with the negative health and Environmental impacts the facility could have, Halton Region's planning and public works committee endorsed a motion that says the Region won't become the proponent for EFW now, but rather five years down the road. It also calls for staff to work with other area municipalities and the Province to develop and implement effective waste reduction and diversion initiatives that promote environmental sustainability. The resolution is along the same lines as one suggested by Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources (POWER), which appeared before the committee to urge councillors to rethink going ahead with the EFW concept. Barbara Halsall of POWER emphasized incinerators destroy materials that must then be replaced, in turn producing more waste. "If I burn a piece of paper instead of recycling it, someone has to manufacture a new piece of paper from raw materials," she said. "This is tremendously wasteful because manufacturing one tonne of paper creates 98 tonnes of waste products." Meanwhile, Oakvillegreen president Liz Benneian said the health impacts the EFW facility would have need to be given serious consideration. "We believe incineration poses a serious risk to public health," she said, noting there's no safe limit for the dangerous chemicals that would be emitted. She also said it would place an unacceptable burden on the environment. "If we are going to get serious about global warming, we must get serious about emissions," she said. Burlington resident Tom Muir also touched on the issue of environmental and health effects, noting that provincial guidelines are either factually obsolete or don't exist for many chemicals that would be released. "Therefore, the Region cannot protect the health of residents using these guidelines," he said. "People are already sickened and killed by pollution and this facility, unless it doesn't have to exhale, will just make things worse." For Gillian Earle of Miltongreen, the EFW would be a "step backwards" when it comes to dealing with waste. "Let's focus on recycling and composting waste -- not burning it," she said. "Let's focus on reducing greenhouse gases and pollution levels, not increasing them with an EFW facility." Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Bob Nosal and a peer review of the business case also expressed worries about the environmental and health impacts the EFW facility could have. "The direct emissions are significant and that's one of the key issues we have concerns with," Nosal said. The business case found that com- pared to the current method of landfilling, an EFW facility would emit a much greater volume of air pollutants associated with smog and more greenhouse gases. EFW would also emit small quantities of heavy metals like mercury and organic chemicals such as dioxins. The study looked at a variety of options for the facility, ranging from one that would accommodate 100,000 tonnes of waste per year from Halton residents only to one that could fit 1.2 million tonnes per year from local residents, businesses, biosolids and other municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Based on the wide range of tonnes, the capital cost of the plant could be anywhere from $112 million to $690 million. The cost to taxpayers was also considered. While having garbage, recycling and Greencart pick-up would cost the average taxpayer (based on a $300,000 assessment) about $135 a year, adding an EFW facility to the mix would push that figure up to $178. JULY 1, 2007 · 10K Run 3K Walk 1K Kids Run Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Red Deer, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Windsor, Toronto, Algonquin Park, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, St. John's Support Canada's Athletes & You Could WIN A TRIP TO * · Meet Canada's top athletes! · $67,000 in 10 km participant prizes · Free technical running shirt · Finisher medal for all participants Visit www.hbcrunforcanada.ca for details Title Media Partner *No purchase necessary. Contest closes July 1, 2007. One prize is available to be won, consisting of a four-day, three-night trip for two to the first cycle of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Approximate retail value $17,226.92 CAD, based on a Toronto, Ontario departure example. Correct answer to mathematical skill-testing question required. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. For full contest rules, prize details, entry and eligibility requirements visit www.hbcrunforcanada.ca. TM © 2005, VANOC. SERVICE EXCELLENCE DODGE RAM 1500 QUAD CAB AWARD WINNER ONTARIO'S #1 RANKED CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP JEEP PATRIOT HELD OVER! DODGE CALIBER DODGE GRAND CARAVAN DODGE CHARGER DODGE NITRO JEEP COMPASS CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE DORVAL DRIVE THE LOCKWOOD REWARDS CARD INCLUDED WITH EVERY PURCHASE WYECROFT RD. SPEERS RD. 175 Wyecroft Rd., Oakville 905.845.6653 www.lockwoodchrysler.com Between Kerr & Dorval Financing Provided By Wise customers read the fine print: * Drive Free For 3 is a limited time offer and applies only to new in-stock 2006 & 2007 Dodge Caravan, Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country models financed or leased through Chrysler Financial on approved credit. Offer applies only to retail delivery from retailer inventory. Retailer trade may be necessary. Finance customers will receive a cheque for their first 3 monthly payments (to a maximum of $1500). Lease customers will have their first lease payment paid (to a maximum of $500) and will receive a cheque for the next 2 payments (to a maximum of $1000). PLUS eligible customers will receive a $500 Esso Gas card which can be used for any purchase at Esso locations across Canada. PLUS eligible customers will receive their first scheduled maintenance (lube, oil & filter) free of charge at participating Chrysler Jeep Dodge retailers. Alternatively, customers may choose to receive a bonus cash rebate for $1500 in lieu of all elements of the Drive Free for 3 program. All amounts include taxes. Offer subject to change without notice. See participating retailers for complete details. Based on 2007 Fuel Consumption Guide ratings published by Natural Resources Canada. Your actual fuel consumption may vary. Based on U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) scoring system for 2007 model year Caravan and Grand Caravan. Whichever comes first. See your retailer for details and conditions. Some conditions apply. SHREK THE THIRD TM & © 2007 DreamWorks Animation L.L.C. KERR ST. TRAFALGAR QEW

Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy