Contract Calls for City's Support in Landfill Expansion

A 2001 agreement between the City of Ottawa and two landfill operators may mean the city has no choice but to extend the life of the Carp landfill residents have been angrily protesting.

Bay Ward Coun. Alex Cullen says the document from the Ontario Municipal Board commits the city to supporting any permits or applications made by landfill operators to allow the processing of waste, even expansion if necessary.

The document will likely be used by Waste Management of Canada Corp., the operator of the Carp Road facility, in their bid to add 25 years of life to the site.

A company spokesperson said there is little chance Waste Management will back down from expansion plans once environmental and zoning barriers are removed.

The five-year-old agreement was part of a contract negotiated after amalgamation. It states that the city will "expedite" and "support" applications by two landfills to expand, as long as an environmental assessment is provided.

The agreement refers to both Canadian Waste Services (now Waste Management) and its competitor Waste Services Inc., which operates a landfill in Navan.

More than 1,100 angry residents packed into a Stittsville school gym Mar. 1 to oppose plans to more than double the capacity of the Carp facility.

Residents are concerned about the smell, the size and the environmental risks of what they call "Mount Trashmore."

Mayor Bob Chiarelli has called for a special council meeting next week to deal with the dump issue.