Answers and a commitment from the municipal council regarding the project to build a composting platform. That's what the 50 or so citizens present at the Saint-Télesphore municipal council meeting on Tuesday, October 10 were looking for. 

Questioned for more than 90 minutes, the mayor tried, as best he could, to reassure his constituents, who were extremely concerned about the project, particularly regarding the risk of water contamination.

On September 21, the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC announced that it was taking steps to acquire land on Chemin Saint-Antoine. The land would be transformed into a regional composting platform. 

According to the municipality's mayor, David McKay, nearly 90 sites have been studied over the past six years by the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC. The project had also been proposed for Sainte-Justine-de-Newton in 2021, but citizen protests and a change of guard at the mayor's office aborted the project.

"The MRC approached us about a composting site. They asked us if we wanted to get on board to choose the site. They had really chosen Saint-Télesphore. Either we went with them and we could control certain things, or we didn't and they expropriated someone and went it alone. We decided to go with them so we could control certain things. The MRC was already planning to build a composting site. There were two potential sites. The first, as the mayor said, didn't work out. The second, the owners accepted. We weren't consulted about prices. We're just the city that's going to host the platform," said District 1 Councillor Nathalie Lanthier.

"We've been discussing this at council for a year. We had found a site, but the owner refused to sell. The site that was finally selected was found by the MRC. We were not consulted about the site," emphasized Mr. McKay.

A water source to protect

An esker some 23.2 km long by 1.5 km wide lies close to the site coveted by the MRC. The esker, an exceptional and important source of drinking water, crosses the municipalities of Rivière-Beaudette, Saint-Polycarpe and Saint-Télesphore. What's more, many residents draw their water directly from the source, in the absence of a water supply system. 

At this stage, however, the MRC cannot confirm that the site is directly on the esker.

In an e-mail sent to Néomédia on October 2, Catherine St-Amour, communications manager for the MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, confirmed: 

"At this stage, we cannot affirm that the site is directly on the esker according to the information in our databases... To protect the water and the esker, all operations likely to generate nutrient-laden water will be carried out on a watertight surface in accordance with current standards. These standards also require regular inspection of the integrity/tightness of the concrete. This water is then channeled into a retention basin and partly reused in the process, and partly treated by a willow crop under the supervision of an agronomist," explains Ms. St-Amour.

"Our wells are not 1,000 feet underground. They're 90, 100 feet. Water tables move around. It would be very unfortunate if, in a few years, our water were contaminated. I'd like you to sign a paper guaranteeing that our water will never be contaminated," said a citizen visibly upset by the choice of site.

"I'm a man who trusts science. Do you think the Ministry of the Environment is not aware of the dangers and risks...? If the Ministry of the Environment says it doesn't make sense, that there's a danger to the population, do you think we're going to risk the lives of our citizens? But before saying anything, the Ministry needs to do its studies...  I'm worried too, but at some point you have to trust someone. If they say this isn't the right site, we'll find another," added Mr. McKay.

"You're asking us to trust people, experts who have been working on the project for years, to whom we've put our questions and who have never been able to answer us. It's difficult for us," said one homeowner. 

Asked if there was a plan in place in case of contamination of the water source, David McKay replied in the negative. An answer that soon aroused public indignation.

A source of new income, but how profitable? 

"What elements will you be able to control in the project?" asked a citizen living on chemin Saint-Antoine. Unable to answer, David McKay simply recalled that a consultation committee made up of elected officials and citizens would be set up, and that he invited citizens to get involved.

On September 21, when he announced the start of the process, Mr. McKay said in a press release that he was very enthusiastic about the project. 

"It's a structuring regional project, concerned with the environment, aimed at quality composting for a return to the earth, a lever for regional development and an opportunity for additional revenue for the municipality of Saint-Télesphore," he said.

The regional composting platform is a $20 million project, with a $5.4 million subsidy and annual operating costs of $1.4 million.

According to the scenarios established for the composting platform project, the cost of processing would be around $100/tonne. The project will therefore enable us to better control the cost of organic waste management in the medium and long term.

On Tuesday, citizens tried to find out a little more about the financial impact of the project. "Have you budgeted for the carbon tax and snow removal associated with this project? How much revenue do you estimate it will generate for the municipality?" 

"We haven't done the calculations, but we're never going to accept the project if our share isn't signed or guaranteed," confirmed Mr. McKay.

"Represent us before the MRC"

"We want our municipality to represent us at the MRC and guarantee us that it has a mechanism to put a stop to the project at any time," implored one citizen. 

"If council agrees, we can put in a clause that says if there's a problem with the Ministry of the Environment, we give ourselves the right to pull out of the project," Mr. McKay added, without confirming whether he would formally commit to depositing such a clause.

"I understand all your concerns. What I suggest is that you write down a list of your concerns. I'll take it all to the MRC and demand answers to each of your questions," concluded the mayor.

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