Jason Teakle
BRANT NEWS

With St. George residents saying they are fed up with the smell, TimCo Foods processing plant has submitted an odour control plan to the Ministry of the Environment.

“At the (county) staff level, we have encouraged the ministry to expedite the review of the plan so it is resolved to everyone’s satisfaction as quickly as possibly,” said David Johnston, County of Brant general manager of economic development. “The ministry is reviewing it.”

County of Brant Mayor Ron Eddy said St. George residents are fed up with odour emitting from the plant, which opened last year.

“They are sick of the smell,” Eddy said. “At times, it is rank. The company needs to solve the problem.”

Ministry of the Environment senior environmental officer Brian Cahill said the plan submitted by the company meets the ministry’s preliminary requirements.

“The plan meets the requirements of the provincial officers order,” Cahill said. “The company has opted to install a biofilter system to ‘clean’ the air before it exits the building.”

Cahill said the ministry will issue an order to TimCo by March 2 to submit an application showing a detailed design of the proposed biofilter.

“It will be reviewed by the ministry to confirm its suitability for mitigating the odours,” Cahill said. “After approval is obtained, the company will be required to complete the installation immediately after.”

John Bisaillon, who lives north of the plant on Highway 5, said the enjoyment of his property each day depends on the direction of the wind.

“It is still brutal depending on which way the wind is blowing,” Bisaillon said. “We need to see how hard the Ministry of the Environment comes down on TimCo Foods.”