They say the site is still toxic and prone to flooding.
St. Helen’s Meat Packers Ltd. told a reporter it is “committed to addressing the environmental challenges and additional costs” to develop the property, adding that it will maintain and clean part of the parcel that has been used as a dumping ground.
St. Helen’s plans to build a 50,000-square-foot freezer and packaging facility that will bring an estimated 100 jobs to the area.
The site has apparently been for sale for a decade; the sale awaits approvals from the Torontoa and Region Conservation Authority.
Some local residents want the site developed as a park; they say that paving over land that is considered a flood plain could cause additional problems if the nearby Black Creek breaches its banks as it did in 2013, damaging nearby homes.
