As residents continue to grapple with a pervasive scent problem in some city neighbourhoods due to the production of lavender-scented bags at the Polyethics Industries location on Forest Avenue, emotions boiled over at Tuesday’s public meeting meant to update residents about progress made on the issue.
Residents, members of city council, and representatives from Polyethics and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks gathered in the council chamber at Orillia City Centre to discuss plans to abate the odour, which numerous residents say has negatively impacted their lives.
“It makes me cough and choke. It's like sticking your head in an open box of laundry detergent,” said one frustrated resident at Tuesday’s meeting.
Earlier this year, at the behest of the ministry, Polyethics installed air make-up units at its facility and developed an abatement plan to mitigate the scent, with plans to carry out emissions testing in early September before identifying and installing any needed measures to mitigate the scent.
“The consultant that they hire will do the testing, then they'll prepare a report, which will provide any potential recommendations necessary to mitigate any odours or any parameter that they see as a concern coming from their stacks,” said the ministry’s district supervisor, Brad Allen. “That's submitted to the ministry as far as an odour testing plan, for installing any additional equipment.”
A number of residents, however, admitted they were distrustful of the process, and used the meeting to mine for corruption or negligence on behalf of Polyethics, the ministry, and the City of Orillia alike.
“I think what's important here is that there are harmful chemicals coming from a plant,” said one resident. “My concern is that the scent is being dealt with, but not the actual harmful nature of the chemicals themselves.”
Despite similar concerns from several residents, ministry officials assured the crowd that the emissions meet standards.
“All indication is that their emissions are meeting the standards for the ministry,” said Allen, referring to whether the emissions were physically safe or not.
That assurance did not carry with some residents, who raised questions about the chemical content of the lavender-scented bags and their subsequent emissions in city neighbourhoods.
One resident, who filed a freedom of information request to obtain safety data sheets on the chemical compounds used in the product, said there is one ingredient listed simply as a ‘mixture.’
“What the hell is a mixture? And how does the ministry know that there's nothing wrong in that mixture? he said.
During the meeting, Polyethics officials said safety data sheets are a “very complex system,” which includes statements on a product’s materials even if that material makes up an infinitesimally small proportion of the product.
“If you had a material safety data sheet for water, it would have those cautionary statements,” said Bryon Wolff, chief technology officer.
Ministry officials also explained the key concern is what chemicals are getting off site, and that it has standards for air emissions.
“The ministry has a standard for air emissions, and those standards (include) human health standards, and that is what Polyethics would have to meet as far as their emissions from a human health standpoint,” said Allen.
During discussion about the safety data sheets, one resident accused the ministry of “defending” the company.
“I’m a scientist defending science,” replied Paul Plotz, ministry project coordinator. “I’m not defending them.”
Given the lengthy process of getting the scent issue resolved – which began over a year ago – some residents questioned why the city hasn’t used its bylaws to impose requirements on Polyethics.
“We've looked at the bylaws we have in place, and unfortunately a lot of this goes to the province in terms of issues to deal with, and it's out of our hands,” began Mayor Don McIsaac.
“That’s a cop out,” interjected a resident.
“That is not a cop out. That's a fact,” replied the mayor. “I asked you earlier, if you could come up with a bylaw, please do.”
Throughout the meeting, residents raised issues about the process and whether their concerns would ultimately be addressed in the end, with some suggesting that the amount of lavender scent in the product be reduced or eliminated.
“If we stopped running that product, that would be 120 people out of 200 that would be without a job,” said Mark Brown, chief operations officer.
Some questioned why the ministry doesn’t simply order Polyethics to comply, with ministry officials arguing that a process has been established, and Polyethics is working through it to abate the issues.
“We can issue an order,” said Plotz. “The process is they appeal the order … we go to court to discuss that order that we issued, and whether or not we have the authority to issue it, whether that makes sense.
“In the meantime, they gathered the data that says we didn't need to issue the order in the first place,” he said. “We're given the power to do that, but with that power comes a responsibility to make sure that we're doing the right thing.”
At the end of the meeting, McIsaac suggested another meeting could be scheduled when the Polyethics consultant report is available in September.
"There's (been) suggestions about meeting towards the end of September. Once the report is available, we can certainly schedule that," the mayor said.
Following the meeting, resident Jim Seagram said he sympathized with the frustration of the public, but acknowledged there’s a process in place.
“The 120 jobs, they do not want to sacrifice those without the evidence that is an absolute requirement,” he said. “In the meantime, they are trying to mitigate things, but as long as people are going to smell things, people are going to think they’re doing nothing.”
“I'm frustrated for the sake of the people that it takes as long as it does … (but) do I think there's ill will in the time it takes? No, I don't.”
