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Some Regina residents in the Uplands neighbourhood could have a canola crushing facility in their own backyard, raising concerns for people in the area who say it’s too close for comfort.
Bev Leung has lived in Uplands for 39 years. She says having the Viterra plant one mile from the community is too close.
“We’ll be able to see it, we’ll be able to hear it and I believe we will be able to smell it,” Leung said. “Those are the biggest concerns we have because I’ve talked to people in Yorkton and they say they can’t get away from the smell (from a similar facility in that city).
“We want them to just move it further out.”
Leung stressed the negative impact the construction could have on property values in the neighbourhood as well as traffic that would be brought to the area.
Viterra spokesperson Peter Flengeris says the location the company has selected offers the right setting for the project to go ahead.
“The site we’ve selected for our new crush facility is located in the heart of the industrial zone, which has the supporting road and rail infrastructure,” Flengeris said in an email. “Prior to making our announcement, we engaged closely with the City of Regina to discuss our plans for the site.”
When it comes to the concerns that Leung has raised, Flengeris says the company wants to make sure there isn’t any negative impact to the surrounding area.
“We will be utilizing modern, state-of-the-art technology in the construction of this plant that will minimize any potential disruptions, including air emissions, odour and noise,” he said. “As well, all truck traffic to and from the facility will follow designated truck routes.
“We expect this project will have a long-lasting and positive local economic impact, both in terms of employment related to the facility’s construction and permanent employment once the plant is up and running.”
Leung says it feels like a waiting game and she hopes proper assessment is done by multiple parties to really evaluate the location.
“There is nothing on paper, so we’re kind of in this balancing act now,” she said. “We’re just going to say, ‘OK, fine, we have to wait and see what Viterra does.’
“I don’t really care for companies doing their own evaluations on themselves. Our residents should know that this has been an independent, unbiased report that will actually highlight where issues could be.”
Viterra has said the canola plant is still in the feasibility stage and will hopefully be operational in late 2024.
It’s the second canola processing facility announced for the Regina area, as Cargill has also revealed plans for a $350-million plant to be built in the region.
Leung says she ultimately hopes the plant is built — just a few miles further away than what is currently planned.
“We don’t have any problem with anybody building large plants in the area. Don’t get us wrong, we want good-paying jobs; all the more power to Regina,” she said. “But we really need to address the problems that we will have with this plant being so close to our homes.”
