The project to set up a composting platform in a disused sand pit in Saint-Télesphore caused quite a stir at the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC on the evening of Wednesday October 4. Some 50 disgruntled citizens turned up at the council meeting to share their grievances with the region's 23 elected representatives. 

The space reserved for members of the public wishing to attend the sessions in the Bas-Canada room was packed. People were even standing at the entrance to the room, some of them crowded standing outside.

To accommodate them, MRC Prefect Patrick Bousez agreed to move the question period, normally scheduled for the very end of the meeting, to the beginning. The first citizen stepped up to the microphone to ask her question, followed by a sub-question to the elected officials.

A project subject to government approval 

"Did you visit the Saint-Télesphore site before making your decision? "Personally, I did. But if your question is whether my 22 colleagues went, the answer is no. The mayor of Saint-Télesphore knows his territory well, as do the people working with us on the project. We trust them " replied Mr. Bousez, who is also mayor of Rivière-Beaudette.

For his part, Martin Cuerrier of Saint-Zotique, who runs a field crop farm, questioned the elected officials about the presence of a drinking water valve that would pass under the chosen site.

"I want to reassure you on this issue. The MRC is in the process of purchasing the land, but nothing can be done without the approval of the Ministry of the Environment.To obtain it, several soil and other studies will have to be carried out. These analyses will raise a number of questions.For the moment, we're at the stage of presenting the project to the citizens of Saint-Télesphore first, and then to the residents of Vaudreuil-Soulanges," added the prefect.

Will clear-cutting be necessary?

"Will clear-cutting be necessary to build the platform?" we asked. "Trees will have to be removed to pour the recycled crushed concrete slab that will house the building, but the project includes the conservation of a 15-meter wooded strip on either side of the building.What's more, we will replant the trees cut elsewhere on the Vaudreuil-Soulanges territory in locations determined with the help of citizens " explained Hugues Charbonneau, General Manager, Société de gestion des matières résiduelles de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, who is working on the project.

During the question period, he specified that 90 sites in Vaudreuil-Soulanges had been studied for the project. However, he refused to reveal their locations to avoid speculation.

A lot of misinformation about the project 

"Do you know how many trucks will pass in front of our homes to get to the site?" asked a local citizen. "There's a lot of misinformation circulating about the project, like the one insinuating that 200 trucks a day will go there.This is not true. A visual screen and an anti-sound wall will be built on the site to minimize the impact on the neighborhood. That's why we'll be holding information sessions. To give the right information in the right way " replied Mr. Bousez.

There are currently 45 composting platforms like the one to be built in Saint-Télesphore throughout the province. Mr. Bousez has visited the one in Cowansville three times, which will serve as a model for the one in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.He assures us that no odors emanate from the site, and that there are no more bugs or insects than elsewhere.

"It's impressive. The site will include several sections: a pond, the platform, a 15-meter wooded area on either side of the building, a scale, a reception area, and a shredder for wood residues. All this will be presented this Thursday evening and at other information evenings. I can assure you that it's not a dump or a dompe, as many would have you believe. We're lucky to have Mr. Charbonneau, a reference in composting in Quebec, on our side to set up the project " he asserts.

For his part, Vaudreuil-Dorion mayor Guy Pilon drew a parallel with the Écocentre located on his territory. "At first, people were unhappy with the choice of site.They were afraid of the traffic it would bring to the area and the noise it would cause.Then, after it opened, they realized that what they had imagined at the outset was far from reality. Today, they cohabit very well with this place in their neighborhood."

Question period was adjourned by Mr. Bousez as tension mounted between disgruntled citizens and elected officials.Documents relating to the project will be posted on the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC website this Friday for the general public interested in the dossier. 

Information session this Thursday

An information session will be held this evening in Saint-Télesphore to unveil the details of the project, which will cover almost 7 hectares.The MRC prefect promised those citizens present yesterday who do not live in the locality that further information sessions will be held in the coming weeks to inform them of the project.

"The mayor of Saint-Télesphore has asked that his citizens be the first to be informed, and that's normal, given that the project will be set up in their area.Then we'll be able to present it to interested Vaudreuil-Soulanges residents " he says.