HAWKRIDGE HOMES - A BAD IDEA REVISITED

Next Tuesday April 19 we have a Zone Change Application and Plan of Subdivision returning to Woolwich Council after a four year hiatus. The Applicant is Hawk Ridge Homes Inc. and the proposed new subdivision location is 36-38 Union St. Elmira, Ontario. This is the former apple orchard previously owned by Regional Chairman Ken Seiling's mother-in-law. Oops Kenny publicly advised me never to mention this property again or else I'd be hearing from his lawyer. Apparently something about this property has him embarassed or upset somehow. I'm just guessing but I've long wondered why the zoning had stayed residential, a decade or two after the province allegedly were advising local councils to change their zoning around chemical companies in order to provide buffer zones for them.

The Woolwich Observer published a very good article on July 6, 2012 about the Ontario Municiapl Board decision regarding Hawk Ridge Homes. Noise from nearby railway cars shunting in the overnight hours was the sticking point. Apparently the Region of Waterloo's noise experts did not agree with the noise standards proposed by Hawk Ridge.

Personally both I and others were far more concerned with the Kill Zone which encompassed most if not all of this proposed subdivision. This Kill Zone is in regards to the modelled Worst Case Scenario for Chemtura Canada. This Worst Case Scenario is possible if there is a major leak of Anhydrous Ammonia which is acutely toxic to human beings. Chemtura have many very nasty chemicals on their property and I was always surprised that Anhydrous Ammonia was considered the worst of the worst.

The other industrial neighbour is Sulco Chemicals otherwise known as CCC. They produce Sulphuric Acid and while their record over the last ten to fifteen years has been much improved nevertheless they too are a threat to nearby residents. Again the provincial idea of having a buffer zone around chemical companies is a good one and long past Woolwich Councils' failure to comply with this provincial directive seems to be the cause of the current problem.

It must be stated on behalf of both Chemtura Canada and Sulco that they both opposed this proposed new residential subdivision last time around. That is the responsible corporate action to take.

For the record I was opposed to this proposed subdivision four years ago and still am. I find it reprehensible to build homes and lure unsuspecting citizens to live beside hazardous chemical companies with one of them having a very long record of spills, fugitive emissions, fires and explosions. Sulco at least has an active and involved Citizens Advisory Panel (CAP) whereas Chemtura Canada through the efforts of Councillor Bauman and mayor Shantz inappropriately disbanded the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) last year replacing it with two far less open and transparent committees. These cringeworthy committees, one co-chaired by Shantz and Bauman, severely restrict public input and consultation.