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Health Risks

Air Pollution increases respiratory problems such as asthma and allergies. Cement contains crystalline silica, which causes breathing disorders & lung cancer (silicosis). Cement will be blown into the concrete silos used during the batching process. View the warning label on cement mix purchased from a local building store

Noise Pollution

Concrete Batching involves extremely loud, continuous and abrasive noise. Some sources of noise include: Cement trucks blowing cement into the concrete batching silos. Industrial vehicles loading & unloading aggregate/salt into the storage bins & sheds. Loading of aggregate into the cement silos. Dropping of aggregate, cement and water into the concrete mixing trucks. Draglam Salt will operate 24 hours per day during snow stoms. Truck traffic and salt loading will create unacceptable noise at all hours of the day.

Air Pollution

Piles of salt and aggregate, up to 10 m in height, will be stored on the site creating dust and air pollution. The loading and unloading of the items will cause airborne dust and particulate . If stored incorrectly, aggregates and salt will become airborne due to weathering. Industrial vehicles traffic will stir up dirt and aggregate that have escaped from the storage bins. Cement blown into the concrete silos will create further air problems. Increased industrial vehicles traffic and idling will increase smog. Toronto Redi-Mix has estimated that 16-21 industrial vehicles will be making a total of 63-83 round trips per day upon startup of the operation. (That's one trip every 10 minutes over the course of a 12 hour work day TO START!)

Light Pollution

Draglam salt plans to operate 24 hours per day during snow storms. Bright lighting will be required to make this feasible and will have a negative impact on the nearby homes.

Safety

How will the safety of our children and families traveling on nearby roads be affected with the convoy of concrete mixing trucks generated from a busy concrete processing facility?

Quality of Life

Noise and air pollution will decrease the quality of life for residents of the adjacent neighbourhoods. They will no longer be able to enjoy the peace of their own property due to the noise and pollution increases.

Use of the Adjacent Lands

Concrete batching, salt storage and aggregate storage are an unsightly use of land. What kind of businesses will be attracted to the adjacent brownfield lands that are for currently for sale? It is unlikely that clean, contained industry will be attracted by the neighbours at 207 New Toronto Street.

Impact on Land & Water

Environment Canada has recommended road salts containing inorganic chloride salts be added to the List of Toxic Substances under the Canadian Environment Protection Act (CEPA) Chloride ions from road salts find their way into waterways, whether by direct runoff into surface water, or by moving through the soil and groundwater. In surface water, road salts can harm freshwater plants, fish and other organisms that are not adapted to living in saline waters View the EC assessment: http://www.ec.gc.ca/substances/ese/eng/psap/final/roadsalts.cfm