RM of Edenwold votes no to compost facility application

After a lot of protest from residents in the area, the Rural Municipality of Edenwold denied the application for Regina’s compost facility.

In a special council meeting Monday at 6 p.m., the RM office and council unanimously voted down the discretionary use application from EverGen for the commercial compost facility.

In a news release, Reeve Al Trainor said council took careful consideration to written and verbal statements from people in the area. Residents expressed concerns at town hall meetings over odour and water treatment safety from the facility, which was to be built near Pilot Butte limits.

Trainor said there were conflicting reactions from the public and reports council had received. The compost facility was proposed to be constructed in close proximity to domestic water wells, which concerned many property owners in the area.

The property owners’ lack of support conflicted with the site suitability report previously approved by the Ministry of Environment.

“We also noted inaccurate information on the permit application from the applicant and found that the development is inconsistent with section 6.13 of the Statements of Provincial Interests regarding source water protection,” said Trainor.

It’s unknown what the council’s decision means for EverGen’s plan.

Regina’s green bin program began on Sept. 4.

Shortly after it started, and with the location up in the air, the City of Regina announced compost material temporarily would be collected at the landfill.