City refuses to support Carp dump expansion

The city won't support the proposed Carp Road garbage dump expansion, despite a 2001 agreement committing the city to support landfill development, Mayor Bob Chiarelli said.

The agreement includes a provision that the city must deem the expansion environmentally sound before approving it, he noted, adding: "The present proposal is not environmentally sound. We are, therefore, proposing a resolution that essentially would oppose what is coming forward."

• FROM MAR. 15 , 2006: Contract calls for city's support in landfill expansion

The landfill expansion plan must undergo an environmental assessment by the province and be approved by the environment minister. The city is hoping to influence the decision.

Chiarelli is one of three city councillors putting forward a motion next week to urge Waste Management of Canada Corp., which owns the Carp Road landfill, and the province to widen the scope of the environmental assessment.

They want the assessment to look into alternative forms of waste management, such as focusing on recycling efforts and using new technologies such as incineration.

"The reality is that it's a decision that's made by the minister of the environment," Chiarelli said, "and we need to address that reality."

A few days ago, Coun. Alex Cullen revealed a five-year-old agreement between the city and two waste management companies that required the city to support any zoning or permit applications necessary for expansion.

The document lists both Canadian Waste Services (now Waste Management) and its competitor Waste Services Inc.

Waste Management plans to nearly triple the size of its Carp facility by using land it already owns around the site. That would extend the life of the dump by 25 years.

Early this month, more than 1,000 angry residents packed into a Stittsville school gym to protest the plan.

• FROM MAR. 2 , 2006: Angry crowd boos landfill expansion

"We welcome the input from the City of Ottawa and the community, and further look forward to continued dialogue," said Wayne French, a spokesperson for Waste Management.

But French adds the company has no intention of abandoning its proposed expansion.

In the end, if the province gives the green light and the city tries to oppose zoning changes, Chiarelli admits it's a lost cause.