AIM scrap yard can resume Saint John operations for trial period, says province

American Iron and Metal's Saint John Harbour location has been told by the Department of Environment that it can resume operations immediately for 90 days.

Environment Minister Jeff Carr said the government acceptedAIM'srevised plan to addressexplosions that occur at the plant's shredder.

He confirmed in an email Friday that operations have resumed for a trial, 90-day period and will have to stop all work if anexplosion occurs.

The scrap yard opened briefly on Monday after being shut down in late November. It wasshut down almost immediately after another explosion.

Conditions attached

West side residents near the plant have complainedthe explosions at AIM shake their homes. Since June 2017, more than 35 blasts have occurred, according to government records.

Conditions attached to the latest reopening include "the installation, replacement [or] alternation of any equipment or thing at the facility necessary to eliminate explosions," Carr said.

They also include the edict that operations must stop if there's a blast.

"The company then must report the incident to the Department of Environment and Local Government and the Saint John Fire Department and can't resume operations until such time as any and all issues have been resolved," said Carr.

CBC News asked American Iron and Metal for comment but has not received a response.

Locals concerned

Raven Blue, a local resident and organizer with Livable Saint John, said it's encouraging to see the governmenttaking steps to address noise pollution, but his group is more concerned with other pollution issues at the plant.

"Our priority has always been monitoring of the air quality because we have seen in other scrap metal facilities in North America, when they've done air monitoring, they have noticed high levels of carcinogenic heavy metals," said Blue.

CBC News has tried to find out from the Department of Environment but hasn't heard back.

Blue said his group would like to see more details around what the thresholds are for noise and air pollution.