Clarington Council yesterday said it has voted unanimously to become an “unwilling host” for the Region of Durham’s proposed new anaerobic digestion and mixed-waste pre-sort facility in Courtice.
Last June, regional council authorized a site selection process for this new proposed facility, and on March 6, in a report, the region identified the ‘preferred site’ located in Clarington’s Energy Park.
The proposed site is in Courtice, just south of Highway 401 and right next to the Durham York Energy Centre (DYEC). The site was primarily chosen because of its proximity to DYEC and Highway 401. When analyzing potential sites for the facility, the Region of Durham only looked at areas where it owned the property.
Clarington Council asked municipal staff to comment on the proposed location. In report PSD-013-20, Clarington staff outlined that the proposed anaerobic digestion facility is not compatible with the land use plans set out for this area. Clarington’s Energy Park is the location of the East Penn Canada Power Battery Sales Ltd. head office and warehouse, and the site for the proposed Ontario Power Generation new corporate campus relocation and expansion, plus it houses the existing OPG Durham Energy Centre (the refurbishment mock-up).
The area is also the future site for the Courtice Waterfront Park, a long-term goal for the municipality. The waterfront park is set to become a destination park that will support a variety of uses in the area, the council said in a media release.
The Region of Durham’s Official Plan designated the site as an employment area. At the same time, Clarington’s Official Plan describes it as a business park with a minimum target density of 30 jobs per hectare. The province recently designated the site as a significant employment zone.
Clarington Council said it feels that the municipality has been asked to “assume more than their share of the burden for the region’s waste” and does not want this new facility to negatively impact residents and businesses that have invested in this area.
While new to North America, the mixed waste pre-sort is a common waste management disposal process in Europe. Anaerobic digestion is well known in North America, and involves the use of bacteria to break down organic matter; in this instance, it will be household biodegradable waste. The bi-product of this process is biogas, mostly made up of methane, the main component of natural gas.
Opened this door a long time ago…..