Soil treatment plan approved
Council goes ahead with temporary site, will further investigate permanent option
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Thursday, September 15, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
After heated debate spanning two meetings last week, Inuvik's town council approved a temporary soil treatment facility set up and run by KBL Services in the town's dump, while deferring the request for approval of a permanent facility until council can investigate it further.
KBL Services project director Shawn Samborsky, left, and operations manager Doug Dawley presented to town council their proposal of a soil treatment facility in Inuvik at a council meeting Sept. 14. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photos
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"KBL is doing this for KBL's interests and no one else's," said Coun. Vince Sharpe at the end of a Sept. 12 discussion, adding with a curse word how little KBL cares about Inuvik.
He opposed the proposal and made it known to KBL representatives Shawn Samborsky, project director, and Doug Dawley, operations manager, when they attended a Sept. 14 meeting to discuss the subject.
The proposal would see KBL make a capital expenditure to build the facility, then take in revenue to cover that expense. From there profits would be shared between KBL and the Town of Inuvik.
A soil treatment facility would charge what is essentially a tipping fee to receive contaminated soil, such as from oil and gas projects or otherwise, clean it and then use it to cover the landfill. KBL Services operates similar facilities in Hay River, Yellowknife, Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, and High Level,
Alta.
Soil treatment relies on optimizing conditions in the soil to degrade the contaminant, as well as managing the soil and precipitation to make sure there is no outside contamination started.
Samborsky said that KBL's expertise is in safety, operations, engineering and especially dealing with regulators.
In the company's proposal, the Town of Inuvik would be the licence holder for the operations because activities would be occurring at the town's landfill site.
"At this point in time there's a bit of a unique opportunity that's presented itself," Samborsky told council, referencing a nearby client's need for soil disposal.
"We've got a project, so we don't have to build a facility without having any soil to bring (to) it," he said.
Samborsky requested council approve a temporary treatment facility and then add the operation of a permanent facility to the town's current water licence, which is set to be renewed next year.
All councillors who spoke on the issue seemed to think the idea of a soil treatment facility was a good one, but they had different ideas about how it should be implemented.
Sharpe did not want to accept KBL's proposal and instead wanted the project to go through a request for proposals process to see if the town could get any better deals. He thought it would be a better idea for the town to run the site itself.
"I think if we're going to do that we should be operating that facility and we should be the one that's gaining everything from it," Sharpe said on Sept. 12.
Senior administrative officer Grant Hood clarified that because the project was a revenue-generator and not an expense, the town did not have to go through a request for proposals process if it doesn't want to.
Coun. Kurt Wainman agreed with Sharpe at the Sept. 12 meeting, thinking it would be a good project for the town to take on itself.
"This is really feasible for the town," he said.
At the Sept. 14 meeting, Wainman had a more apprehensive approach, urging council to defer the decision until the town can fully do its homework on the proposal.
Mayor Jim McDonald countered the idea that the town should take on the project itself, questioning whether it was as easy to run as Sharpe and Wainman appeared to make it seem.
"I just don't think we have the expertise to do it on our own," said McDonald. "I just think this would be a good opportunity for us to bring something to the community that's sustainable and some revenue for the town."
Coun. Alana Mero echoed McDonald's thoughts, asking out loud why council seems to be opposing a business.
"We talk about growing the economy of Inuvik but all of a sudden people seem to be opposed to a business," she said.
Coun. Joe Lavoie spoke in favour of KBL's proposal after the company's presentation on Sept. 14.
"If it was such a great opportunity in the past then why didn't somebody step up and show their cards?" he asked. "This company, KBL, has taken the risk and said, 'Hey, I think there's an opportunity for the community.' It doesn't look like a bad proposal to me and it's something I think I'd be in favour of."
Council eventually voted 4-1 in favour of approving in principle KBL Services to set up a temporary soil treatment facility in the town's landfill once all regulatory requirements have been completed. It will further investigate the proposal for it to be a permanent facility.
Mero, Lavoie, Coun. Natasha Kulikowski and Coun. Darrell Christie voted in favour of the motion. Sharpe opposed it, while Wainman and Coun. Clarence Wood abstained.
