"Plans for the construction of the provincial indoor compost facility in Brookfield continue to move forward following two recent developments," said Transportation and Public Works Minister Don MacKinnon.
MacKinnon's comments follow news that the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) has declined to hear an appeal from the Brookfield and Area Residents Association (BARA) regarding plans for the proposed indoor compost facility.
Construction of the modern, state-of-the-art, indoor compost facility in Brookfield is a key element of the province's Integrated Waste Management Strategy, which also includes the closure of more than a dozen existing community landfill dump-sites across the Island; conversion to alternate use of an existing outdoor compost facility in Wellington; and extension of the Waste Watch program to every household in the province.
"As part of our Integrated Waste Management Strategy, construction of a central indoor compost facility will allow our waste to be dealt with in a more environmentally responsible manner. This will benefit all our communities as well as present and future generations of Islanders," said MacKinnon.
The second development concerns the Planning Act. Having met all necessary due diligence requirements of the Environmental Protection Act to ensure the environmental integrity of the project, Executive Council has exercised its right under Section 28.2 of the Planning Act to limit the right of appeal in regards to the construction of the compost facility in Brookfield.
"This move taken by Executive Council is not without precedent. In fact, this section of the act has been used more than a dozen times since 1990 on projects ranging from waste treatment plants to food processing facilities to industrial developments deemed to be of vital importance to the province," explained MacKinnon.
MacKinnon further explained that activation of Section 28.2 of the Planning Act does not prevent the option of legal action through the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island should that be availed. It's anticipated that construction of the modern, state-of-the art- indoor compost facility will commence shortly and that the facility will be operational next year.