'Hard environmental data' needed for action on concrete plant, city says

The City of Toronto says that currently nothing can be done about the dust and constant rumbling of trucks from a concrete mixing facility in Mimico that neighbourhood residents worry could be harming peoples health.

The ML Ready Mix plantat 29 Judson St. set-up shop as a timber facility shortly after purchasing the land in Torontos old rail corridor from CP Rail in 2001 and began mixing concrete at the site in 2007.

The plant sits on the south side of the residential street, and neighbours have been complaining to the city for several years that traffic generated by tractor trailers, dump trucks and the accompanying dust and noise are affecting quality of life in the area.

We dont wash our cars on Judson Street. [Dust] is on our patio furniture, in our houses. Trucks go by and its a massive cloud of dust, said Dan Irwin, who lives up the street.

There have recently been calls from people who live in the area for the city, in conjunction with the province, to carry out a thorough environmental assessmentat the plant todetermine whether there are anypossible health risks associated with dust and particulates emanating from the facility.

Health worries

Resident Sam Piscione, who called the situation unbearable, worries what affect the plant might have on his children, who spent most of their formative years inhaling that crap, he said.

According to Ward 5 city councillor and chair of the citys planning commission Peter Milczyn, HL Ready Mix operated without a certificate of approval from the Ministry of Environment until last year, and built structures and several fences without prior approval from the city.

It is an outfit that doesnt seemed too concerned about following any rules or procedures in advance, he told CBC News.

At a meeting of theEtobicokeYork Community Council Tuesday night,Milczynwill hear from neighbourhood residents about what they would like to see from an environmental review. He said he hopes that eventually the director of Toronto Public Health, along with the environment minister, will commission a study exploring the potential consequences of dust emissions at the site.

We dont have hard data about exactly how much emissions that come from the plant effect the people living across the street or down the block or around the corner. And thats what is missing. We need the hard data, saidMilczyn.

The company obtained the proper environmental certifications in September 2013 and said that it has spent $1 million since 2007 to comply with all required environmental regulations.

Milczyn points out the city amended zoning by-laws to prevent concrete facilities from operating in residential areas in 2012, but HL Ready Mix was unaffected because they were grandfathered at their current location.

The people down on Judson, their experiences are that the amount of dust is not acceptable. They feel its affecting their health if we do confirm that, than we can really take action against the plant, including potentially shutting it down, said Milczyn.

The company has claimed publicly that the city has not cooperated with its attempts to move the facility to a new location, but Milczyn said the company refuses to apply or wait for the documentation required to make the move.