Morrisburg, Ont. businesses raise stink over proposed cannabis plant
A proposed cannabis facility 80 kilometres south of Ottawa is raising concerns among businesses and residents about the possible smell it might produce.
The building at 45 Allison Avenue in Morrisburg, Ont. currently sits empty, but a proposal in front of South Dundas Township Council states it could become a cannabis production facility, according to neighbouring company Eckel Noise Control Technologies.
"The potential of a cannabis plant being less than 100 metres away from our production facility, what we make absorbs noise, it can absorb odours," said Eckel vice-president Jamie Leblanc.
Eckel is a world leader in noise cancelling and noise insulating products, producing test chambers and enclosures for industrial applications and audio metric rooms that are used for hearing testing in the medical field.
The current proposal has raised concerns that their insulated products could become contaminated.
"Eighty per cent of what we do gets shipped across borders, our biggest concern is with the potential red flagging or stopping of our products crossing the border (into the U.S.)," Leblanc said.
Eckel Noise Control Technologies vice-president Jamie Leblanc showing off some of their products in the showroom in Morrisburg, Ont. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
Eckel recently submitted a petition to South Dundas Council, signed by more than 200 people, to stop a rezoning proposal to reduce the 300 metre bylaw from sensitive land, which includes homes and leisure space.
"(The township) has a 300-metre bylaw from sensitive land, any area that is deemed sensitive land," Leblanc said. "In order for the facility to open, they've asked for that bylaw to change."
"We fall well within that bylaw, and we believe that Eckel should be deemed sensitive land based off the products we manufacture," he added.
"Eckel is not the only business concerned with possible odours in the town. The McIntosh Inn, which is just north of the proposed site on Highway 2, feels the same way.
"It's not that I'm against it, I just need to have some questions answered," said owner and general manager Tom Morrow, who added the company who purchased the vacant building and land on Allison Avenue has not been publicly named.
"Surely they've built other processing plants and is there a smell coming from them? I don't know, and they don't seem to answer that," Morrow said. "It's a little bit of cloak-and-dagger right now."
"Let's have an open book and open discussion and look after everybody's needs," he added. "Best-case scenario is they can prove that there will be no odours and we'll all live happily ever after."
The McIntosh County Inn & Conference Centre just north of 45 Allison Ave. in Morrisburg, Ont. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
Leblanc says he also wants to see Morrisburg grow and is not in opposition of a cannabis plant in Morrisburg.
"We are against the location of it," he said. "And the only reason why we are against the location is the potential contamination of our products."
"We have a 60-year-plus relationship with Morrisburg that's been mutually beneficial," he said, adding the town could possibly lose Eckel if council votes for the bylaw change and the planned facility becomes reality.
"Worse case scenario, it would be a very unfortunate thing that a mutually beneficial, 60-year relationship would have to be reassessed at the end of the day. That is the saddest part about this entire situation," Leblanc said.
South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds said in an email statement to CTV News Ottawa that he would not comment on the current situation until the bylaw proposal comes up for a vote in early 2022.
"The public meeting that was held at our last council meeting was just that; a meeting to have the public tell council and staff along with the proponents their thoughts and concerns," Byvelds wrote. "When the bylaw comes to council, we will listen to staff’s recommendations along with what responses the proponents have to the public concerns."
He also noted that whichever way the vote goes, the process can be appealed.
"If we vote against it, the proponent can ask the Land Planning Appeal Tribunal to over rule the bylaw; if we vote for it, then those who have spoke at the public meeting and/or have handed in comments will have the option to appeal," the statement read.
Leblanc says Eckel's doors are open to any council member to come through the facility leading up to the vote.
"We have an open invite for all council members to come to Eckel and see what we do," added Leblanc. "We're very proud of what we do here. We've accomplished a lot, we hold a world record for the quietest place on earth and we would love for them to come and see first-hand what the concerns are before the vote."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.