Montreal suburb axes agreement with company to dump more hazardous waste in municipality

The city of Blainville is tearing up its agreement with an American companyto expand a hazardous waste landfill in the municipality, according to Radio Canada.

The suburb north of Montreal has allowed Stablextoburyhazardous materials, such as batteries and laboratory waste, in its dump sitefor the past 40 years.

The agreement wouldhave allowed the company to bury double the amount of waste, meaningan additional eight million cubic metres over 40 yearsfour times the volume of Montreal's Olympic Stadium.

Half of the hazardous materials received by Stablexcome from Ontario and the northeastern U.S.

The Blainville site is the only one of its kind in Quebec.

In a unanimousdecision, elected officials rejected the agreement Tuesday evening during a municipal council meeting, saying the project poses risks at various levels and was widely criticized.

"Our decision is the result of careful listening, rigorous analysis, serious discussion and the necessary hindsight," said Blainville Mayor Liza Poulin.

"We cannot reconcile the interests of our citizens with such a redevelopment project."

The agreement, conditional on obtaining environmental authorizations,was torn up before Quebec's environmental watchdog,theBureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement(BAPE), could release its report.

The BAPEwas expected to submit its final reportto Quebec Environment MinisterBenoit Charetteby Sept.8 at the latest and made public within 15 days.

Plan would encroach on wetlands

The agreement, signed in March 2020, would have allowed Stablexto expand thedump site intothe heart of environmentally valuable peat bogs.

The land in question includes 54 hectares of forestand ninehectares of wetlands,all within a kilometre of agricultural irrigation basins.

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Elected officials, citizens and the union of agricultural producers have been expressing their opposition to the expansion project for several months.

Stablex hasinsisted its process is safe "in perpetuity." Once filled to capacity, it says a cell is closed with a liner consisting of a sand separation layer, a layer of compacted clay and a waterproof geomembrane.

But Quebec's Environment Ministryexpressed concern about what would happen when the company ceased operations.

On Tuesday evening, the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) congratulated Blainville on its decision.

Jol Arseneau,environment critic for the Parti Qubcois, also welcomed the move.

"Blainville made a courageous decision, and the right one," he said.

The company has not yet reacted to the municipality's decision.