Councillors push for action against north-end smell

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Moncton city councillors continued to push for a resolution to the “north end smell” Monday night after a consultant’s report indicated that despite the unpleasant odour, there is no evidence of an actual health risk.

The smell in the north end of the city has been a topic of discussion for several years, and Ward 3 Coun. Bryan Butler said residents are prisoners in their own homes and cannot go outside to enjoy their properties. The main source of the smell is believed to be the TransAqua facility on Delong Drive where human solid waste is mixed with mulch to create compost that is then given out free to gardeners and landscapers. As the debate continued, TransAqua says it has taken steps to mitigate the smell, including the purchase of tarps to cover the piles and air quality monitors.

At Monday’s meeting, Hive Engineering presented a detailed report showing how they conducted air quality tests based on complaints through the city’s Let’s Chat social media and a dedicated phone line for complaints. They did tests on days when the smell was “strong and unpleasant.” While they found soot and some chemicals, the air quality tests did not indicate any specific health hazards. The consultant recommended continued testing in the spring and summer.

The report kicked off debate among councillors, who noted there are several other industrial plants which emit strong odours, including the Organigram cannabis growing facility on Edinburgh Dive that employs hundreds of people, the ECO 360 facility which operates the region’s landfill site and Rayan Environmental, where neighbours have reportedly complained about the smell of chemicals and burning.

A motion passed by council Monday night agrees to continue discussions with TransAqua’s board of directors to see what can be done, including the construction of a facility to enclose it, or move it to another location away from populated areas.

Butler and fellow Ward 3 Coun. Dave Steeves gave notice that they will file a stronger motion in January, demanding that the facility be enclosed to stop the smell, or moved somewhere else. Steeves said it is their duty to continue fighting on behalf of hundreds of residents.

“Ever since I was elected in 2021, this has been the number one issue in Ward 3, Moncton Northwest,” Steeves told reporters after the meeting. He said a stronger motion will be brought to council in January.

“I think the motion that was moved tonight had a lot of language about discussions and that was frustrating for Councillor Butler and I because we really want to get on the action side of things, which is a proposal to move it completely inside or move the TransAqua facility further outside the city.”

Steeves said he’s not sure whether enclosing the TransAqua facility will fix the problem, but something must be done for the residents.

“Residents in that area cannot sit on their deck in the summertime and have a barbecue because of the smell, kids cannot play in their yards, so we have to come up with some options. Let’s start pricing to see what it would cost to enclose the facility or move it outside the city. We’re open to options but we’re getting fatigued from the discussions.”

Other business from the final council meeting of 2023:

• A public hearing will be held Feb. 5, for a rezoning request by the Pioneer Estates Winery on the Whitfield Trites Road near Magnetic Hill. The owners want to rezone the property to Tourism and Recreation to allow for retail and entertainment uses. The winery already has been harvesting grapses for several years and constructed a production facility. The proposal calls for a new outdoor patio and terrace for indoor and outdoor wine tastings, wine sales, and hosting larger events such as weddings and corporate rentals.

• In the 2025 budget year, the city will have a third party committee to evaluate grants to various organizations.

• The city will write off more than $363,000 in unpaid water bills from customers that have been deemed as uncollectible. One of them was worth over $260,000 and resulted in litigation that was unsuccessful. Other old water bills could not be collected because they dated back to a time before a transfer of house ownership. Three others, totaling over $34,097, had gone through property tax sales by the province and there wasn’t enough to pay old water bills that dated back to 1996-97. There was another group of commercial customers who had ceased operations and no longer exist, but still owed the city over $61,030.

• The city will adopt the Building Safer Communities Fund strategy. Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe will work together on a “gun and gang strategy” with support from Public Safety Canada.

• The city will enter a one-year agreement until November, 2024, with the Salvus Clinic, which provides space at 120 Assomption Boulevard where they can store the mobile clinic unit. The Salvus Clinic provides medical care to those who are homeless, without a doctor and with drug and mental health issues. The clinic was recently evicted from its long-time clinic space and continues to seek a permanent home.