The Otter Lake Fiasco Continues Tuesday Nov 10th in City Hall Council Chambers (link at end of posting):
The community has been denied access to important information because of the unprecedented secrecy surrounding the planning around Otter Lake (4 in camera meetings since August, refusal to provide info to even some HRM Councillors who resorted and failed to receive information via a FOIPOP (freedom of information request).
The hold up of constructing cell 7 is HRM Staff’s and ultimately Regional Council’s method of creating a so-called crisis environment to encourage NSE to approve extending the height of the waste storage cells at the Otter Lake landfill.
It is a “so-called” crisis because we have it on good authority that the landfill operator (Mirror NS) believes the final decision on cell height extension could be decided over the next two years and that immediate approval is not required at this time.
Construction of waste storage cell 7 should have be granted months ago since it is apparent that HRM wishes to keep the landfill open long after 2024, which will require the construction of cell 7 (and 8 & 9 eventually) anyway. If cell 7 is constructed, no height extension is required to meet operational commitments for a very long period of time.
Once again this apparent crisis (which is NOT a real crisis) was orchestrated by HRM to try to force NSE to approve a height extension of the waste storage cells ASAP; HRM’s City Solicitor and the CAO were heard to agree and say at a previous meeting that the issue of height extension could be put aside and examined over the next 2 years on the basis that mirror would proceed to construct cell 7 immediately… so HRM’s stated requirement to immediately have an NSE operating permit approval granted for a waste storage cell height extension is in fact NOT an immediate requirement at this time.
HRM is well aware the public provided very strong feedback that they were NOT in favour of any height extension… 80% of those attending the face-to-face public engagement meetings rejected both extending the height and extending the operating time. The overwhelming message was “honour the contract”; but HRM are proposing it anyway.
The Premier said changes to the industrial permit at Otter Lake would not be entertained. We ask the Premier to support the Minister of Environment when he proposes to support the public and NOT to support HRM’s requests for permit changes at this time.
Minister of Environment Delorey previously said no changes at Otter Lake unless the community is on board. The community clearly is NOT; we ask that NSE not approve any waste storage cell height extension requests from HRM.
It is time for Regional Councillors to actually represent faithfully the residents of HRM…. Else stop asking for feedback if you are just going to ignore it.
People interested in hearing HRM spin their story should attend the Regional Council Agenda for Tuesday, November 10th, I wish I could tell you the exact time when Regional Council will start, but first there is a Committee of the Whole meeting starting at 10am in City Hall’s Council Chambers:
HRM RC Agenda Item: 11.1.9 First Reading, Proposed By-laws S-610 and S-611, Solid Waste Collection and Disposal
Read this for more info: http://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/151110ca1119.pdf
Join this event to show you will attend this Regional Council meeting.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1105614742783060/