The City of Delta will not be appealing the air quality permit Metro Vancouver has issued to the Enviro-Smart Green for Life composting facility in East Ladner.
At Monday’s Delta council meeting, civic politicians voted on a number of staff recommendations, including whether to appeal the permit. The vote was defeated on a tie as councillors Jeannie Kanakos, Bruce McDonald and Heather King supported an appeal but Mayor Lois Jackson and councillors Sylvia Bishop and Robert Campbell voted against it.
Council did unanimously approve other staff recommendations, including that Delta hold a public information meeting before the end of September, that Metro appoints at least one Delta employee to monitor the permit and that a building permit be withheld until the Agricultural Land Commission determines whether the facility is in compliance with its regulations.
Prior to council’s discussion, Delta’s director of corporate services Sean McGill provided a detailed timeline and historical overview of the issue.
As far as the permit goes, McGill said he has had great conversations with residents and believes they all want to get to the same goal.
“Staff feels we need to get to an enclosed facility as quickly as possible,” said McGill. “We believe the air quality permit addresses where we are trying to get to. Our concern, and I again respect the residents’ desire for us to appeal, but the Harvest Power appeal was two years. I can guarantee you that very little will be done expenditure-wise if it is under appeal. We want to get the air quality permit in place and start this process.”
Residents wanted Delta to launch an appeal because they feel the permit contains many flaws, namely the appointment of a Metro Vancouver employee to monitor odour detection and that even when the facility is enclosed, smells would likely still be detected nearby.
McDonald said according to what Metro staff have told him, the appeal process would likely be underway within a month.
“During the period of time of the appeal nothing changes, so from my perspective and the perspective of those living in East Ladner, this is a no brainer – you file for the appeal,” he said. “If we determine we don’t want to go forward, we withdraw it. I don’t see where we are risking an enormous increase in timeframe to build the enclosed facility if we would go ahead with that.”
Along with the staff reports, council also received 56 letters in the past week from East Ladner residents urging Delta to appeal the permit.
Kanakos said the residents’ letters should not be ignored.
“Although staff thinks that we know better, I think it is time we listen to the residents of Ladner on this issue,” she said. “I’m supporting the appeal for the reasons that have been raised by the residents. It gives us a chance to meet with the residents to understand the air quality permit better, so I will be supporting this.”
Bishop called the situation “ironic”
“What I heard them say at the meeting last week is that they are done and done and done with the odour and they are at their wits end and want to secure the enjoyment of living in their neighbourhoods again with fresh air. To me, it seems the fastest way to get to no odour is to actually get the enclosed building built. What worries me about the appeal is that the appeal could linger and nothing happens to an enclosed building being built.”
Jackson added that all she wants is for the area to be free from odour.
“It’s been a rough road because we don’t have a lot of power at all,” said Jackson. “We are still not there and that is very frustrating. I’m very concerned despite the optimism around an appeal, but I’m not sure it’s going to be that easy. It was two years with Harvest Power.”
Wendy Betts, who organized a town hall meeting last week, said she cannot begin to express her disappointment with council’s decision.
“In spite of our town hall meeting and the many letters to mayor and council, it is what it is. The politics supporting Enviro-Smart stench will never truly be understood,” said Betts.
Betts said there will not be a collective resident appeal, but in correspondence to residents has urged them to appeal the permit on an individual basis.
