A celebration will be held in Beiseker Monday evening for those who successfully fought the approval of a biomedical incinerator.

The Alberta-based company G-M Pearson planned to build the incinerator on land located at the southeast corner of Beiseker, along Highway 9.

According to G-M Pearson's website, the company "transports and disposes biomedical waste from hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes, veterinary clinics, businesses and from the public."

The facility that was proposed for Beiseker was "designed to thermally treat approximately 8,000 tonnes per year of biomedical and other non-hazardous waste."

Concerned Beiseker resident Jennifer Ladrillo Green says G-M Pearson held an information session in the community on September 20 and 21.

"The primary concern was that we only first learned about this proposed biomedical waste incinerator [in the local newspaper] through an ad by G-M Pearson stating that they were having an information session about this," says Ladrillo Green.

She says it caught many people off guard since the advertisement only gave residents a couple of days notice.

"So I, along with many other residents, went to that meeting and were not satisfied by the answers that we were given," says Ladrillo Green. "In fact, we were not given answers to many of our questions."

Ladrillo Green says G-M Pearson purchased the land about a year ago and needed Beiseker Council to agree to amend the land use bylaw to rezone the land to advance the project.

The matter was spoken to at the Beisker Council meeting on October 15 and a public hearing was held, giving residents a chance to speak either for or against the proposal.

Ladrillo Green says more than 130 people attended the public hearing and that it was very heated and intense. She says many people spoke out against the project and that the only person who spoke in favour of it was former Beiseker Mayor Dave Fegan.

Following the public hearing, Council tabled the decision to its next meeting on November 12.

Ladrillo Green and other concerned residents took advantage of the delay by learning as much as they could about the project. A town hall rally was held and Ladrillo Green says more than 150 people participated.

"An issue like this is very emotional and it can be very divisive in a community," says Ladrillo Green. "From our team going door to door, speaking with people, very few people expressed that they were in support of this incinerator. And when I say very few, I mean two people after going door to door for three or four hours, so a very small percentage."

When the matter was spoken to on November 12, Beiseker Council unanimously voted against the land use bylaw amendment and Ladrillo Green says there is no appeal process for land use bylaws.

"We know that they have a lot of money, we know that they have lawyers that we don't have access to, so it was a concern as to whether there was some sort of appeal that they could go after, but it turns out this really is the end of it," says Ladrillo Green.

A statement provided by G-M Pearson Project Manager Mike Fournier reads "While we are disappointed in the decision by Beiseker council, we appreciated the effort and time spent by the council and administration in considering our proposal. G-M Pearson has received interest from other communities with regard to our thermal treatment project. We will follow up on each of these and apply lessons learned from Beiseker."

Ladrillo Green says she's relieved and proud of the community for having their voices heard.

"It wasn't just Beiseker," says Ladrillo Green. "It was the farmers of Rocky View County, it was the residents of Irricana all coming together united so passionately and I really believe that it validates the resolve of the people and proves that we're worthy of small-town living at it's finest, it's cleanest, it's healthiest, it's best."

Ladrillo Green says an appreciation event will be held at the Beiseker Seniors Centre Monday evening for those who fought against the project to gather and celebrate.

 

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