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Cantley residents living near a solid-waste landfill have suffered from health issues, financial setbacks and a lower quality of life, a tribunal heard yesterday.
Robert McClelland, president of the Cantley Dump Committee, added that in March 2005, 69 neighbouring families had to evacuate their homes for four days without financial compensation.
Quebec’s Administrative Tribunal was hearing the final closing arguments and is to rule on whether the environment minister’s decision to close the dump in September 2006 should be overturned.
In his address to the two-member tribunal, Mr. McClelland noted that during the hearings, “it was clearly demonstrated that the two operators have neither the capacity nor the good will to manage a landfill like this one. They think that the operation of a dump is a right, which is false. It’s a privilege. And to benefit from that privilege, laws and regulations must be respected.”
The tribunal has 90 days to rule on the matter, in which more than 400 documents were filed as evidence.
© The Ottawa Citizen 2007