May 28, 2019 – The Saint John Council in New Brunswick has reportedly put in a letter to the Province asking if the scrap recycling plant, American Iron and Metal (AIM), can relocate its metal shredder.
The current two-year permit for the plant was signed in June 2017, with the renewed permit set to be approved by June 1.
Last December, the plant’s shredder had caused a dozen explosions, which resulted in the Province placing a stop-work order. The plant later allowed to reopen, with a list of conditions and environmental testing requirements.
“I think it’s absolutely in the wrong location, but unfortunately it is Federal Government property, and the Federal Government doesn’t have to abide by your city bylaws. So they do what they want, they are autonomous in your city,” Ward Three councilor Donna Reardon told Global News.
While Reardon agrees that the shredder should be moved to a new location, she says if it happens to stay in the same location, then the city should be able to claim some jurisdiction over what occurs on the site.
A recommendation within the letter included “enhanced environmental monitoring.. including sound, air and water quality monitoring” audited by a third party in order for AIM to receive the new permit.
