Thane Developments must create plan to contain pollutants: Ministry of Environment

YorkRegion.com
July 22, 2016
Heidi Riedner
 
The province reconfirmed its longstanding polluter-pay stance when it comes to the former Thane Smelter site in Georgina, after the latest order against the property was issued last month.

The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change issued a directors order to Thane Developments Ltd. June 30 requiring company owner Harold Sniatowski take measures to control the off-site migration of salt/slag at the property on Warden Avenue in Keswick.

“The ministry’s goal is to ensure that the owner takes appropriate and necessary steps to prevent adverse off-site environmental impacts,” ministry spokesperson Lindsay Davidson said, adding the ministry concluded that proper mitigation measures are required on the former Thane Smelter site after continuous monitoring, sampling and careful review of historical and current data.

Continuous calls from the community for a full clean-up of the site, as well as two judicial reviews over the property, are on hold pending what type of mitigation plan its former owner can come up with during the next few months.

Under the order, the company/owner must prepare plan with measures to control erosion of the salt/slag stockpile at the site and post it on the Thane Public Input and Notification Committee website.

Further monitoring at the site will be evaluated and developed in conjunction with the plan, according to the ministry.

In addition, ministry abatement activities will follow after the plan is accepted to ensure implementation.

A total of 41 comments between March 22 and May 6 were received during the ministry’s public consultation process. Many requested that the director’s order require the complete removal of the salt/slag from the property and not just the submission of a mitigation plan.

While removal remains an option, it was not included in the order pending the submission of the mitigation plan by October of this year.

In response to public comment regarding owner Harold Sniatowski’s compliance history and ability to foot the bill, the ministry amended its work order to include the provision of a letter of credit or other financial assurance in an amount to cover the costs of the implementation of the mitigation plan as a requirement of the plan.

Judicial reviews initiated by local activist and former Thane Public Liaison Committee member Debbie Gordon, as well as a separate one by the town, seeking to re-instate a revoked cleanup order on the property are on hold pending submission of the mitigation plan, which is to include a monitoring program.