Nearly 200 residents filled a church auditorium on Friday night (January 6) to learn more about the potential dangers of a proposed waste to energy facility that could be constructed in the municipality of Meaford.
The information session was hosted by the recently-formed Meaford Against Gasification Group (MAGG) in response to a municipally organized public meeting that was to have taken place on Tuesday January 10, that in their view would have only presented one side of the issue.
That public meeting was postponed indefinitely on Thursday January 5 with the municipality and Partners Energy Group (PEG), the company proposing to develop and operate the waste to energy facility, saying that potential changes to the provincial Feed in Tariff (FIT) program, which is currently under review, could affect the proposed project.
Guest speaker Liz Benneian, of the Oakvillegreen Conservation Association, who has worked with concerned Ontario residents extensively around community incinerator issues, told those gathered that they should be very concerned about a waste to energy facility being constructed in Meaford.
“Incineration by any other name still stinks. Whether it's gasification, plasma arc, energy from waste, whatever they choose to call it, they are still taking material that could largely be recycled, and reused, adding a lot of expensive and greenhouse gas-making fossil fuels, burning it, and turning it into ash that needs to be disposed of, and gas that everyone gets to breathe in,” said Benneian in her opening remarks.
Benneian went on to tell the audience that the incineration process doesn't eliminate the need for landfills as 30 percent of what would go into the proposed gasification unit would become ash that would require disposal. In addition said Benneian, a second type of ash created during the process - fly ash - is highly toxic and needs to be sent to specially designed hazardous waste landfills.
“The other 70 percent of what goes in becomes a landfill in the sky,” offered Benneian who said that while proponents of modern incineration systems suggest that virtually zero emissions are released in the conversion of waste to energy, she and many others disagree.
“With gasification, operators are careful to tell you that there are no emissions during the making of their syn-gas, and that sounds great doesn't it? But remember the first law of physics – matter can't be created or destroyed, it can only be changed into something else, so there must be emissions,” said Benneian.
Benneian cited examples of similar facilities which have routinely experienced their facilities exceeding emissions limits.
“Let's look at what happened with Plasco and the experimental incinerator gasification unit they built in Ottawa. It exceeded emission limits 25 times over 283 days of operation, or once in every 11 days,” said Benneian.
Of particular concern to Benneian and other opponents of waste incineration facilities is the release of highly toxic dioxins and furans which she says can't be captured by filtration systems, and for which there is no safe exposure limit.
A second speaker from an organization called Prevent Cancer Now told the audience that more than 200 pollutants are released by the process of incineration. And those pollutants said Linda Gasser are not welcome by anyone.
“Southern Ontario generally does not need any more pollution added,” said Gasser.
Gasser encouraged those in attendance to be vigilant in expressing their concerns to members of Meaford's council and to representatives from other levels of government.
All seven members of Meaford's council were present for the meeting as was newly elected MPP Bill Walker.
Meaford resident Joseph Leung who has been working with MAGG to gather signatures on a petition against the proposed WTE project called upon Meaford Mayor Francis Richardson to be a leader in the protection of the community for which he has been elected to serve.
“I know all of the council members are here. They are all here, not one missing,” said Leung, “Now Mr. Richardson, we elected you, and as a citizen, I want you to carry on for the next three years. I want you to lead this municipality not our CAO!”
Lueng's request of Mayor Richardson was met with a standing ovation from the audience.
Meaford CAO Frank Miele who brought the proposal for a waste to energy facility before council did not attend the meeting.
After the meeting had concluded, when asked how comfortable he was with the prospect of a waste to energy facility being constructed in the municipality of Meaford, Mayor Richardson told reporters that he has reservations.
“Well, I'm not very comfortable with it at all,” answered Richardson, “They've got a whole bunch of questions, and I'm going to take these presentations and say 'answer these questions,' they need to be answered because as you know there is always two sides to any story."
Councillor Michael Poetker also expressed reservations.
“Personally I'm not comfortable with incineration, and I've never been comfortable with FIT,” offered Poetker, “Council needs to have a serious, thoughtful discussion on this project and other projects that are wrapped in green tissue paper.”
A date for a public meeting to inform the public of the PEG perspective on the proposed project will be announced pending the outcome of the provincial review of the FIT program.
