Council passes motion opposing locating Waste to Energy facility in Nanaimo

Letter to be sent to Metro Vancouver and Province outlining the City's position

Summary

At its regular meeting held April 14, Council passed a motion to formally oppose locating a proposed Metro Vancouver garbage processing Waste to Energy facility within the boundaries of Nanaimo and requested that the City be removed from the competitive process associated with this proposal. A letter outlining the City's position, along with copies of all correspondence (both against and in favour of the proposal) will be sent to Metro Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia.

Link to Strategic Plan: The City of Nanaimo supports efforts to obtain public input on topics of community interest.

Key Points

  • Nanaimo's City Council joins the Regional District of Nanaimo's Board in opposing the siting of the proposed garbage processing Waste to Energy facility in Nanaimo.
  • Nanaimo's City Council does not control the outcome of this process; it is only able to state its support or non-support. Metro Vancouver may still wish to proceed in bringing a facility to Nanaimo.
  • The decision to bring forward this motion bares no reflection on the quality of the application associated with Wheelebrator, Seaspan or Urbaser.
  • The challenge of waste disposal is not limited to Metro Vancouver - the issue of what to do with waste must be addressed on Vancouver Island also and all options will need to be explored.

Quotes

"My opposition to the application is not intended to limit opportunity for our region to consider Waste to Energy as an alternative in the future, but rather, to support a local discussion that deals with our regional garbage alternatives first, not just to solve those belonging to Metro Vancouver."

Mayor
City of Nanaimo
-30-

Contact:

Philip Cooper
Communication Manager
City of Nanaimo
250-755-4532

Print News Release

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