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October 03, 2023 - 12:07 PM
Local residents are expected to take their fight against a controversial proposed compost facility in the South Okanagan to a public hearing tomorrow.
This week’s public hearing about a compost facility in is the next chapter in local residents’ fight against it.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen is holding an open house to discuss their plan to build a compost facility at 1313 Greyback Mountain Rd. in the Naramata Bench. The hearing will be at Uplands Elementary School tomorrow, Oct. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Jaquie Jackson, who lives next to facility, has been arguing with the district about this compost facility since they purchased the property.
“I’m not an activist. I'm a concerned resident. It’s going to come across as not in my backyard, but that’s not why I’m fighting it,” Jackson said.
The regional district purchased the 80-acre plot in 2020 and has since received significant pushback from residents and the Agricultural Land Commission about their vision to build a compost facility and biosolids processing facility. Fifty-five of the 80 acres purchased by the regional district is designated as agricultural land. The regional district tried to get the Agricultural Land Commission to rezone the land so they could build the compost facility, but the commission turned down its request.
The regional district appealed the commission’s decision, but it was denied again. The commission said the agricultural land is not a suitable location for the compost facility. Now, the regional district wants to build the compost facility on the 25 acres which are not agricultural land, and then apply to rezone the 55 acres for the biosolids facility.
Jackson said the facility will have a devastating effect on local wildlife, especially the last herd of greyback elk in the Okanagan because the animals use the proposed site for their calving grounds every year.
The regional district said it has a report from its experts who said the facility will have “insignificant impact on wildlife.”
Jackson has concerns, not just about the environmental impact of the facility, but also with how the regional district has gone about this project, beginning with how they bought the land.
“It went into private bids. A couple from Alberta were trying to buy it. The (regional district) found out from the Alberta couple’s realtor their bid so that they could underbid them. It’s all been really underhanded and really sneaky,” she said.
This facility is being built while nearby controversial housing developments on Spiller Road and Reservoir Road are in the early stages of approval from the City of Penticton and the regional district.
Jackson said the Penticton city council had already decided to rezone land for the Reservoir Road development before it held a public hearing about it on Sept. 12. She believes the district has already decided about the compost facility as well.
READ MORE: Residents fear Naramata housing project will change neighbourhood
“Why do we talk at the public hearing when the council had already made up their mind,” Jackson said. “My fear is we’re going to have this public meeting or hearing and they’ve already made up their mind.”
Five city councillors sit on the regional district’s board including Mayor Julius Bloomfield, Coun. Helena Konanz, Coun. James Miller, Coun. Ryan Graham and Coun. Campbell Watt.
Andrew Reeder, the regional district's manager of solid waste, said they people to come to the hearing and share their concerns, but overall the compost facility is going to be good for the area.
“Our goal is to have transparency, we want people to find out the information, we aren’t hiding anything,” he said.
The new facility will help extend the life of the nearby Campbell Mountain landfill, Reeder said, adding it will also save the money because processing the compost is cheaper than putting it in the landfill.
“They’re trying to push this through by telling everybody it’s a compost facility. It's so green we need this in our environment. I get we need a compost facility, we need a biomass facility but not on this land,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the district doesnit care about the concerns of local residents.
“They’re not listening to any of us residents up here at all. They just think ‘there’s only 55 of you, we don't need to worry about you,’” Jackson said.
Read Jackson’s petition against the facility here.
Read the regional district’s information about the facility here.
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