RM of Edenwold says no to proposed compost facility, citing water safety

The Rural Municipality (RM) of Edenwold has put an end to the construction of a compost facility that was set to serve the City of Regina’s composting program.

Shawna Burant has lived near Pilot Butte for almost ten years and strongly opposed the project since the beginning.

“We always want to see development out here, but it’s got to be the proper development,” she said.

“When the meeting was in Pilot Butte, I honestly thought we were late to the table. I thought by the time that we found out about it, it was done,” added Burant. “Our voices were heard. They are willing to hear the concerns of residents which makes me really glad that this is where I live.”

The discretionary use application for the facility was denied unanimously at the RM’s special council meeting on Monday.

“As a result of all the review of deliberations of all the information received, council unanimously voted to not approve the discretionary use permit for the commercial compost facility,” said Al Trainor, Reeve for the RM of Edenwold.

The decision comes after hundreds of residents attended an RM council meeting in late August – voicing strong opposition to the project – which would have been located a mere 1.6 kilometers from Pilot Butte.

Trainor said that council found the facility’s site was in close proximity to domestic water wells – while residents presented concerns including odour, increased congestion on Highway 46, as well as potential rodent issues.

The concerns led to significant opposition from local residents.

“A lack of support/consent … conflicts with the site suitability report previously approved by the Ministry of Environment,” Trainor said in a news release.

“We also noted inaccurate information on the permit application from the applicant and found that the development is inconsistent with section 6.13 of the Statements of Provincial Interests regarding source water protection.”

The Evergen facility was set to receive compost from the City of Regina’s green bins program.

“We will continue to work with the landfill operations to ensure we can process material,” said Kurtis Doney, Deputy City Manager of City Operations for the City of Regina. “It’s important that Evergen finds the permanent site and moves to that site in 2024.”

The city previously said that compost would be stored at the landfill until a location is finalized and approved.