Addressing Public Concerns
Here we synopsize resident concerns and our response, based on common and legislated practices. For the complete dialogue please see the Relevant Articles.
Concern: What is the potential for environmental damage to our neighbourhood from heavy trucks and noxious fumes?
The project will not release significant noxious gases into the atmosphere, and not pose a safety issue to the neighbourhood. An Emissions Summary and Dispersion Modelling Report which models the impact of site emissions to the air within a 4.8 square km area of the facility was conducted. This Report has been submitted to the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP) for review.
An Odour Assessment was conducted to determine if the facility design will meet odour requirements that are set by the MECP. The results from the dispersion model indicate that the rigorous odour control mechanisms that are in place will protect the community from odour issues.
An assessment of the impact of noise from the facility was submitted to the MECP and a full Acoustic Assessment Report is currently underway.
In addition, a third party Traffic Impact Study is currently being done to assess the impact of truck traffic that this project will have on the community. The number of trucks and the types of trucks as well as the routes they will take will be reviewed and recommendations will be made on the best way for the Facility to move material into and out of the facility to minimize impact on the community. It should be noted that the photographs used in the petition are not representative of the types and cleanliness of the trucks that will be used at the facility. The ECA application that was submitted to the MECP clearly states that all trucks leaving the Facility will be washed inside a closed building that is designed to control and treat odours
An Odour Assessment was conducted to determine if the facility design will meet odour requirements that are set by the MECP. The results from the dispersion model indicate that the rigorous odour control mechanisms that are in place will protect the community from odour issues.
An assessment of the impact of noise from the facility was submitted to the MECP and a full Acoustic Assessment Report is currently underway.
In addition, a third party Traffic Impact Study is currently being done to assess the impact of truck traffic that this project will have on the community. The number of trucks and the types of trucks as well as the routes they will take will be reviewed and recommendations will be made on the best way for the Facility to move material into and out of the facility to minimize impact on the community. It should be noted that the photographs used in the petition are not representative of the types and cleanliness of the trucks that will be used at the facility. The ECA application that was submitted to the MECP clearly states that all trucks leaving the Facility will be washed inside a closed building that is designed to control and treat odours
Concern: what does this type of processing plant do?
Coronation Organics Response: The proposed facility is a combination of an organics processing centre and anaerobic digester system. The organics processing centre is used to segregate any infeed that cannot be processed in the anaerobic digesters. Biogas technology takes places within a fully closed tank that uses a biological process to produce a combustible gas from the decomposition of organic waste in an anaerobic setting. The gas, known as biogas, contains roughly 60% methane and 40% carbon dioxide and can be converted to provide usable energy: gas, electricity and/or heat. The second product that is produced with biogas technology is a pathogen-free organic fertilizer called “digestate”". (See Operations)
Concern: are we facing a major disruption to the liveability, and safety of our communities?
Coronation Organics Response: This application is to process a maximum of 1,240 tons maximum of commercial organic material daily. The product of anaerobic digestion, digestate, is not a biosolid material, it is an odourless organic fertilizer which will be used on farms north of the facility to replace and offset the use of chemical fertilizer products. The third-party traffic study will assess impact to the community.
Concern: we are concerned there will be open air storage of waste before processing.
Coronation Organics Response: There will be no open-air storage of any organic wastes at this facility. All of the processes, including reception, pre-treatment and anaerobic digestion occur within enclosed buildings or tanks. The facility is designed with a number of high efficiency, low emission boilers to provide heat which is required for the process of anaerobic digestion. The heat requirements vary from summer to winter and as such, there are numerous boilers to allow the facility to efficiently heat the system. This ensures efficient and timely processing.
Concern: The City of Toronto currently collects 150,000 tonnes per year of residential and commercial green-bin organics which are processed at its Dufferin and Disco Road Plants. The Coronation Plant proposes to process up to 900,000 tonnes of organic annually – 6 times as much as the entire City of Toronto.
Coronation Organics Response: This application is for 1,240 tons of organic tonnage per day and is for a mix of both putrescible and non-putrescible. This represents a maximum of 452,600 tons per year (based on 365 days). The plant is designed to process organics originating both from Municipal curb side collection, as well as commercial organics, which is not collected by the city of Toronto but will be banned from going into landfills starting 2022.
These materials are brought to the site in closed trucks, delivered into a closed reception building and processed in sealed anaerobic digesters. There is no open storage of material at this facility at any time in the process. (See Odour Control)
These materials are brought to the site in closed trucks, delivered into a closed reception building and processed in sealed anaerobic digesters. There is no open storage of material at this facility at any time in the process. (See Odour Control)
Concern: The proposed site at 633 Coronation is within 200m of residential homes, within 500m of parks and within 700m of schools. The 6- or 7-kilometre trip to the 401 (depending on the route) by >200 trucks per day would pass hundreds of homes, several schools (primary, and secondary), the University, seniors living facilities, shopping malls, fire/police stations, and community centres.
Coronation Organics Response: The property that is proposed for the facility is zoned for heavy industrial use, and waste transfer is an allowed use by the City of Toronto By-Laws. A Traffic Impact Study is being carried out which will examine the impact of this site on local traffic and provide recommendations to minimize the impact of the facility on the neighbouring businesses and residents.
Concern: What about noise from the processing plant, from heavy trucks entering and leaving the site?
Coronation Organics Response: All receiving, processing and truck unloading will be done inside the organics processing centre building which is designed to ensure complete air treatment of all air in the building. Full details of the design and operation of the facility can be found in the Design and Operation Report on the MECP website. A traffic study is currently being done to address the impact of this project on the community. The number of trucks and the types of trucks as well as the routes they will take will be reviewed and the impact of these trucks on air quality, noise and safety will be addressed in this third-party review and report.
Concern: The recently rejected proposal to truck biosolids from the Highland Creek Sewage Treatment Plant (HCTP) involved an estimated 5 heavy trucks per day, 5 days per week. The Coronation proposal is planning 70 heavy trucks incoming & 30 heavy trucks leaving with biosolids digester residues (arriving empty). There will also be an unknown number of trucks removing unusable material to local city owned landfill sites. The estimated greenhouse gases alone from heavy truck emissions could significantly add to the greenhouse gas emissions.
Coronation Organics Response: The majority of the trucks that come to the site will leave the facility empty. They will be delivering material for treatment; the totes will be power washed, and the trucks will leave. The digestate will be loaded onto specialty truck by secure piping will leave the facility to bring to area farms for storage until they are land applied as an organic fertilizer.
Currently trucks pick up organic waste from the GTA and bring them to a variety of areas for processing – either other anaerobic digesters, farms or landfills. The location of this facility will result in less trucking of organic materials around Ontario (and sometimes further) to find “homes” for it and close the nutrient loop, returning valuable nutrients to farmer’s for use on their farms, reducing chemical fertilizer usage. The facility will result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as it will reduce trucking of organic wastes. The process of anaerobic digestion will treat these organic materials and captures the carbon dioxide and methane gas that is released during the decomposition of these materials. Rather than diversion to a landfill, these byproducts will contribute to a circular economy.
Currently trucks pick up organic waste from the GTA and bring them to a variety of areas for processing – either other anaerobic digesters, farms or landfills. The location of this facility will result in less trucking of organic materials around Ontario (and sometimes further) to find “homes” for it and close the nutrient loop, returning valuable nutrients to farmer’s for use on their farms, reducing chemical fertilizer usage. The facility will result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as it will reduce trucking of organic wastes. The process of anaerobic digestion will treat these organic materials and captures the carbon dioxide and methane gas that is released during the decomposition of these materials. Rather than diversion to a landfill, these byproducts will contribute to a circular economy.
Concern: The proposal confirms that 6 gases are to be emitted to the local environment from this processing system. there are concerns that some noxious gases may have been missed in this assessment.
Coronation Organics Response: The MECP Emissions Summary and Dispersion Model Report Guidelines require a screening to determine if a contaminant needs to be modelled using a dispersion model. If a contaminant is “significant” it simply means that the contaminant is modelled to determine if it will have an impact on-site. As shown above, all of the contaminants being emitted from the facility that were considered significant or modelled with the dispersion model were below the Ministry Limits for each contaminant.
The process of anaerobic digestion captures both methane gas and carbon dioxide gas (called biogas) which is naturally emitted when organic material decomposes. This gas would be released to the atmosphere if the organic materials were brought to a landfill that does not have landfill gas capture or brought to other end uses. The biogas that is generated at this facility is not a production of new greenhouse gases. The biogas that is captured is cleaned to separate the methane gas from the carbon dioxide gas – the methane is now able to be used as renewable natural gas, offsetting fossil natural gas. As methane gas is a greenhouse gas that is much more potent that carbon dioxide, this process will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to the status quo of treatment.
The Emission Summary and Dispersion Modelling Report is reviewed by an Air Specialist at the MECP to ensure that it adequately models emissions from the facility and meets air quality standards for the Province of Ontario.
The process of anaerobic digestion captures both methane gas and carbon dioxide gas (called biogas) which is naturally emitted when organic material decomposes. This gas would be released to the atmosphere if the organic materials were brought to a landfill that does not have landfill gas capture or brought to other end uses. The biogas that is generated at this facility is not a production of new greenhouse gases. The biogas that is captured is cleaned to separate the methane gas from the carbon dioxide gas – the methane is now able to be used as renewable natural gas, offsetting fossil natural gas. As methane gas is a greenhouse gas that is much more potent that carbon dioxide, this process will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to the status quo of treatment.
The Emission Summary and Dispersion Modelling Report is reviewed by an Air Specialist at the MECP to ensure that it adequately models emissions from the facility and meets air quality standards for the Province of Ontario.
Concern: Because of COVID-19 we have all been self-isolating for the last two months. This has hindered the residents from hearing about, and learning details about this project.
Corona Organics Response: In December 2019 notifications were sent by Registered Mail to businesses and residents within a 300 meter radius of the facility. After submission of the ECA application, the MECP requested that further notification be sent to residents and businesses within a 500 meter radius of the facility. As such, this notification was hand-delivered to over 300 businesses and homes, often beyond the 500 meter notification request to ensure that all homes or businesses on a street received the notification letter.
In mid-March at the request of City Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, an additional letter regarding the project was compiled as well as an email address that can be used to contact the proponent with questions. A new website will be operational by mid-June that will help to alleviate the information flow. In addition, the website will offer a monthly newsletter as well as a contact page to allow the residents to ask questions. These queries will be answered within 2 business days.
We continue to work with the offices of City of Toronto counsellor McKelvie and MPP Thanigasalam to find additional ways to reach out to the community.
In mid-March at the request of City Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, an additional letter regarding the project was compiled as well as an email address that can be used to contact the proponent with questions. A new website will be operational by mid-June that will help to alleviate the information flow. In addition, the website will offer a monthly newsletter as well as a contact page to allow the residents to ask questions. These queries will be answered within 2 business days.
We continue to work with the offices of City of Toronto counsellor McKelvie and MPP Thanigasalam to find additional ways to reach out to the community.
