RM taking second look at composting facility location

After an uproar and two public meetings filled with frustration, the RM of Edenwold is going to take a step back and take another look at the location of the new composting facility meant to serve Regina.

“We’re committed to working with the residents and the business owners and the town council in both RM and town. We heard their voices (and) we want to make this work,” said Lisa Peters, councillor for Division 1 in the RM of Edenwold.

After a meeting on Monday – the second one, this one hosted by the Town of Pilot Butte – the RM held its own meeting Tuesday to discuss the issue. Peters said the RM decided to change the project designation from a permitted use on that piece of RM land to discretionary use, meaning it will have to go through a vote by council.

The RM is going to hold a public hearing on Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at its office to discuss the situation.

“We want anyone to attend; we’re encouraging anyone. Written submission will be accepted prior to the hearing, they will be presented to council and then verbal submission will be heard during the event,” explained Peters.

While EverGen’s project manager had previously seemed to say that location just outside Pilot Butte’s town limits was the final location, Peters said it’s not a done deal yet. She said the RM wants to hear people’s voices and give them the opportunity to have their voices heard.

Peters couldn’t say whether there would be a decision on the location on the same day as the hearing.

“This is a time concern so we’re moving as fast as we can,” said Peters.

Peters wasn’t at the public meetings herself but said she watched the livestreams. She said what people brought up were serious concerns and they made sense.

“We have a great relationship with Pilot Butte and we want to continue that so that’s why we’re doing what we’re doing and we’re opening this up,” she said.

Peters said the council isn’t necessarily opposed to the facility, it’s just listening to the people in the area and realizing it may not be the best place for it.

“There are other areas in our RM that may be a great place for it,” she said.

Mateo Ocejo is the director of organics and project manager for EverGen for the construction of the new facility. He’s presented and answered questions at both public meetings.

He said he’s here to support and listen to people’s concerns but said people are bringing up worst-case scenarios from 10 different facilities, and that you can come up with 10 times the good examples.

Ocejo said he’s invited the Pilot Butte mayor and council to come to one of EverGen’s facilities to see for themselves what it’s like.

Originally, Ocejo had been confident about the facility being built in the location around one kilometre away from Pilot Butte. The project has already started initial ground work.

The City of Regina’s contract with EverGen requires that it be able to accept composting waste when the city’s program is set to begin Sept. 4 – at that facility or with a contingency plan. Ocejo had said last week the facility would be complete enough on that date to accept waste then.

However, with the permit designation change by the RM, the project won’t be pressing pause. Ocejo said the facility wouldn’t be finished enough by that program start date if the company waited until after the RM’s meeting.

Ocejo said that if EverGen, for example, builds a $10-million facility and the RM takes away or changes a permit it already has, then someone would have to pay back that money. He said there would be a liability.

According to Ocejo, EverGen will continue with the plan and legal legislation outlined by the province.

However, last week, the provincial government said a construction permit hadn’t been issued to the project and won’t be until it gets the application and that’s reviewed.

Ocejo has said previously that the whole process is a lot easier when the city government provides a spot for the facility, but Regina didn’t do that.

Ocejo also said that normally, next to the landfill is the best place for such a facility, however Ocejo said why that didn’t happen in this case would be a question for the City of Regina.

Regina is the last major centre in Canada to not have a composting program, according to Ocejo. He says the facility will be world-class and wants to reassure people over the things they’re concerned about.

“I would be happy to tell people, ‘If it stinks, we’ll close it,’ ” said Ocejo.

City of Regina

Though the facility is mainly meant to serve Regina’s composting program, Mayor Sandra Masters is staying out of the controversy.

“I wouldn’t expect them to get involved between the RM of Sherwood and the City of Regina and our joint planning area,” she said as an example.

Ocejo has said previously that the whole process is a lot easier when the city government provides a spot for the facility, but Regina didn’t do that.

Masters said the city put the whole program and project out to a private contractor intentionally.

“If there were eligible private contractors to do that business, the city wasn’t going to be taking that new business on and expanding our internal services that way,” explained Masters.

Ocejo also said that normally, next to the landfill is the best place for such a facility, but he said why that didn’t happen in this case would be a question for the City of Regina.

Masters said she didn’t know whether the company has asked for city land.

If the RM ended up shutting down the project, Masters said then it would become city problems.

“In the event they don’t get zoning approved, then we’ve contracted with someone who can’t deliver on the services that they’ve been contracted for and either we’re part of the solution or we figure something else out,” said Masters, though she couldn’t say what something else might be.