Formerly known as Omera Shells, the company has been operating in Richibucto since 2016 and describes itself on its website as a "crustacean shell drying facility." The plant heats and dries old lobster and snow-crab shells and shrimp skins that are then ground into a powder that's used for fertilizer and animal feed.
But since 2017, residents have filed hundreds of complaints, held protests, signed petitions, talked to politicians, and launched seven separate lawsuits against the company and its four owners.
RE Stop The Stink Perhaps these folks should talk to me
David Amos<david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com> | Tue, Aug 1, 2023 at 4:48 PM |
| To: "Gary.Crossman" <Gary.Crossman@gnb.ca>, maisie.mcn@gmail.com, aidan.cox@cbc.ca, mia.urquhart@cbc.ca, "Arseneau, Kevin (LEG)" <kevin.a.arseneau@gnb.ca> | |
| Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com> | |
August 01, 2023 Residents dismayed by renewal of operating licence for odour-producing plant Coastal Shell Products says it is making plan to resolve 'ongoing issues' at Richibucto plant | |
Residents dismayed by renewal of operating licence for odour-producing plant
Coastal Shell Products says it is making plan to resolve 'ongoing issues' at Richibucto plant
The New Brunswick government is allowing Coastal Shell Products to continue operating in Richibucto, a decision that has disappointed residents who've complained for years about a smell comparable to that of rotting seafood mixed with burned wires.
"My community is just absolutely devastated," said Maisie Rae McNaughton, founder of the "Stop the stink" campaign in Beaurivage — the governing entity that includes Richibucto — and a member of the Kent Clean Air Action Committee.
"I wish I could show you the hurt that is happening in my community. I wish I could let you hear the phone calls and the messages that I received because people are just dismayed, they're heartbroken, they are just feeling completely uncared for."
Maisie
Rae McNaughton, spokesperson for the Kent Clean Air Action Committee,
said her community is disappointed with the province's renewal of the
plant's operating licence. (Jon Collicott/CBC)
Formerly known as Omera Shells, the company has been operating in Richibucto since 2016 and describes itself on its website as a "crustacean shell drying facility." The plant heats and dries old lobster and snow-crab shells and shrimp skins that are then ground into a powder that's used for fertilizer and animal feed.
But since 2017, residents have filed hundreds of complaints, held protests, signed petitions, talked to politicians, and launched seven separate lawsuits against the company and its four owners.
McNaughton said she held out hope their concerns would be heard, and the province would not renew the company's operating licence, which expired Monday.
She said she thinks the company should be required to move the plant to another area where the smell won't affect nearby residents.
Instead she received an email from Environment Minister Gary Crossman on Monday afternoon, informing her his department was renewing Coastal Shell Products's operating licence but with conditions.
The first condition is it install new emissions technology before Nov. 30, or have its licence revoked.
The second condition will be that the company install new "odour control technology" at the plant before July 31, 2024.
It's unclear from the email whether the installation of new technology will in any way address the odour residents have complained about.
CBC News requested an interview with Crossman on Tuesday.
In his email to McNaughton, Crossman said department staff will continue to monitor odours from the plant through frequent site visits and odour surveys.
"While it is evident that some residents remain displeased with the facility operating in the region, Coastal Shells will continue to operate under an approval issued by [the department] as of August 1, 2023," Crossman said in his email.
Environment
Minister Gary Crossman said in an email to McNaughton that department
staff will continue to monitor odour from Coastal Shell Products. (CBC News file photo)
Crossman said the plant will continue to be restricted to operating only between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., but suggested this could change once new equipment is installed and is effective in addressing the odour.
He said based on the results of numerous odour surveys, the department has not been able to "validate" odour concerns when the plant is not operating — a statement McNaughton strongly takes issue with.
"This past Sunday we couldn't even go outside all day because it was that bad," she said.
Company creating 'remediation plan'
Coastal Shell Products declined to do an interview with CBC News on Tuesday.
In an emailed statement attributed to its management team, the company avoided making any specific references to odours, but said it will be meeting new operating requirements by putting forward a "remediation plan to resolve the ongoing issue raised by some area residents."
"Coastal Shell Products wishes to work with the community towards a harmonious solution to current issues," the company said.
The company said it is willing to share how it plans to handle emissions with groups and individuals interested in listening to the plans.
"We're not interested in spending time with groups whose only goal is to shut our plant down and put all of our 26 local
employees out of work while leaving the seafood processing facility without a solution for their shell by-products."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reply to David Amos
The company that won't admit there is a problem, is making a plan to fix the problem they do not believe exists?
Who is your lawyer?
That is the absolute height of arrogance. It is also the definition of logical fallacy - this is a "Straw Man" fallacy in which the opponent attempts alter the point you're making in an argument rather than focus on the actual argument. This counterargument has no substance and aims to attack an untrue version of what you meant. They are basically saying "anyone who isn't interested in doing things the way we want to do them must be interested in shutting down the business and throwing our employees out of jobs".
It's a red herring and not at all what opponents are advocating for.
This problem has been going on for years, and nothing has been done. Now that their license renewal is contingent on taking specified action they are suddenly interested in talking to presumably "like-minded" people?
Hogwash!
Not good enough. These people deserve far better from their government.
https://www.facebook.com/
The following is a response to Minister Crossman’s email, detailing
why they chose to renew this permit. This is far from over.
Mr Crossman et al,
Apparently you do not take this matter seriously, or your decision
would have been incredibly different. Why you continue to ask the
people of Beaurivage to live like this is beyond me. As I stated
previously, your entire Department is now going to be under
investigation, as you have absolutely not done your due diligence in
protecting our communities.
Your Department is absolutely NOT working under the framework of the
Clean Air Act.
As per the Clean Air Act, SNB, 1997, c C-5.2:
6(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), no person shall, directly or
indirectly, cause or permit the release into the air of a contaminant
or a class of contaminant with the result that the release
(a) causes damage to any property,
(b) substantially interferes with the normal conduct of any business, or
(c) causes substantial loss of the normal enjoyment of the use of any property.
Our property values have declined to the point that MILLIONS of
dollars have been lost in home sales. We are prisoners of our
community. Our current businesses are suffering, as our tourism
industry is impacted greatly, as even families and friends do not want
to come visit us, thus losing revenue. A $1.4 million housing
development project was halted due to its proximity to Coastal Shell
Products, in the middle of a housing crisis, located the same distance
away as our elementary school. Most of all, we cannot enjoy our
properties past 8pm, some days we are locked inside all day.
Yesterday, conveniently a day where Coastal Shell Products would know
no government official would visit our town, the smell was absolutely
atrocious and travelled to other communities.
Yet you renew it until November 30th? A month longer than their other
permits? With 455 complaints this year, 7 lawsuits, an ongoing
investigation with Public Safety, a petition with 1900 signatures, NO
AUDITS CONDUCTED BY YOUR DEPARTMENT, inspections conducted hours, or
days, after you received a plethora of complaints?
“Some residents” are not displeased, Mr Crossman. You, and your
ineffective government, are absolutely ruining our lives. Remember
what it felt like to be trapped at home during COVID? How nice it must
have felt when you got your life back? We have never been granted that
luxury.
And just exactly how does Coastal Shell Products intend to install
this new technology by November 30th, which I’m assuming is the
baghouse, without money? Their business model relies on 75% government
funding. When businesses closed in droves during COVID, we didn’t see
the Government of New Brunswick bailing them out. What makes Coastal
Shell Products so unique? Is your Government truly going to continue
to invest in this nightmare? With so many other industries and systems
in dire straights, you choose to throw money toward a problem that
remains not even close to fixed?
To say that they are restricted from 8pm-8am until new technology is
installed is absolutely unethical, as it doesn’t take an engineering
degree to know that this technology is unproven. And even then, you
admit that we are going to have to suffer for a full year because of
your lack of regulations, and complete disregard for the normal
operation of human lives.
“DELG has also been in regular communications with the municipality,
the local MLA, the Department of Health, the Department of Justice and
Public Safety, the Department of Education and Early Childhood and the
Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries.” That line alone
should tell you that this is not “a few residents”. This is a severe
problem, exacerbated by your complete disregard for human lives. This
is a colossal failure at the hands of your government, and you should
all be embarrassed at this point to even be able to say this many
Departments are involved, yet you see no problem that they operate as
is.
Then, in true GNB fashion, you pass the buck to Kent Regional Service
Commission. We KNOW this is a zoning issue. Why invest money to
continue this problem, rather than invest it into moving this plant
somewhere more suitable? Furthermore, if a region is zoned Industrial,
that means they are free to do whatever they want? What, then, is the
point of the Department of Environment?
“Department staff are in regular discussion with the Department of
Education and Early Childhood Development to understand issues and
concerns with respect to École Soleil Levant and the child-care
centre.” There is a LITERAL EVACUATION PLAN IN PLACE FOR THESE
CHILDREN. What would you do if this was your family? And what are you
going to do when francophone children cannot receive their learning in
French, as is their right? Are you prepared for lawsuits if there are
lung issues in the future?
Trucks race through our towns, spilling juices all over the road,
leaving a trail of disgust in their wake. Though apparently, that
isn’t a problem for anyone either.
I am absolutely shocked and appalled by your response, which obviously
was crafted by multiple leads in Departments, as you well understand
how bad the Public Relations of this decision is.
What will make you wake up to your own humanity? Does the Government
of New Brunswick have no morals? Or is this exclusively a Progressive
Conservative issue? Is it because we are a Green, historically
Liberal, Francophone riding, that you all just don’t seem to care?
A past employee, who at this point wishes to remain anonymous, just
came forward stating that Coastal Shell Products is ordering too many
shells, so they are rotting, and their response is to pour bleach on
the shells to try and mitigate the odour. Just today, trucks were
being shipped out, with intensely rotted shells. Yet a handful of
inspections this year, in which a person walks around and marks a
number out of ten at certain areas based on the smell they detect with
their nose. This is your Department’s idea of scientific collection of
data?
My community deserves better than the way you are treating us. To do
all this without so much as an audit, requested by KCAAC, without
knowing exactly what chemicals are being emitted, knowing that there
is a Mental Health Crisis brought on by this plant, is inconceivable.
You are all on the wrong side of history. We will not be soon to forget it.
“Some Resident”,
Maisie Rae McNaughton
Communications and Public Relations
Kent Clean Air Action Committee
maisie.mcn@gmail.com
P.S. Mr Crossman, check the mail in your riding in the coming days.
It’s time the people in other ridings understand what you are doing to
citizens you have been elected to protect.
As Richibucto residents fight to 'stop the stink' forever, shellfish plant tries to grow
Despite hundreds of complaints in recent years, Coastal Shell denies releasing 'offensive smells'
Since 2017, residents have filed hundreds of complaints, held protests, signed petitions, talked to politicians, and launched seven separate lawsuits against the company and its four owners.
Yet, aside from brief reprieves from temporary shutdowns, the company continues to operate.
"It's like shouting into the abyss," said Maisie Rae McNaughton, founder of the "stop the stink" campaign in Beaurivage — the governing entity that includes Richibucto — and a member of the Kent clean air action committee.
"The people of our community cannot understand why our cries have not been taken seriously. This is not a small handful of people affected," said McNaughton.
But as residents continue their fight to shut down the plant, the company is trying to expand. In fact, they want to double the size of their operations, according to documents obtained by McNaughton's group.
A plan to eliminate odour
In them, the company said it would like to expand operations "within the Atlantic provinces by providing waste disposal to processing plants that are not already being serviced."
To do that, the company says it would have to operate around the clock and not be constrained by the conditions of its current approval to operate, which limits operations to between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.
The company acknowledged that it would have to solve the odour problem in order for that to happen. It says it has a plan for that.
The company's general manager said they've been working with a Vancouver-based company called InProHeat and have two solutions. One would result in the "total destruction of the Volatile Organic Compounds that create the odours," and the other would eliminate odours coming from the delivery of the raw shell products.
In
2016, when Opportunities New Brunswick said it would contribute $2.9
million to Coastal Shell Products, the company promised it would create
74 jobs, but those never materialized. (Alexandre Silberman/CBC)
The total cost of both is more than $2 million, of which Coastal Shell Products would pay 25 per cent. According to the report, the other 75 per cent would come from government funding and they list ACOA, the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, and Opportunities New Brunswick.
There is no confirmation in the report that the funding has been approved. CBC News contacted all three groups on Tuesday and asked if Coastal Shell Products had applied for funding. ONB and ACOA have responded.
Spokesperson Michel LeBlanc said ONB "has not received a direct funding ask or formal application" from Coastal Shell Products.
"ONB has not provided any financial assistance to Coastal Shell Products and has no active funding agreement with the company," LeBlanc wrote in an emailed response.
Similarly, a spokesperson for ACOA said the agency "has no project with Coastal Shell Products."
McNaughton said she is concerned about the company's plans for expansion, but is hopeful that the government branches named by the company are sufficiently aware of "the risk involved in such an investment" and won't agree to funding.
Coastal Shell Products has been in operation in Richibucto since 2016.
Formerly known as Omera Shells, the company describes itself on its website as a "crustacean shell drying facility." The plant heats and dries old lobster and snow-crab shells and shrimp skins that are then ground into a powder that's used for fertilizer and animal feed.
In the documents obtained last week, the company makes reference to the "only discernable negative impact" of the plant is the odour. But it only acknowledges "a few" concerns raised by neighbours.
Rotting lobsters and burnt wires
McNaughton said people have become quite good over the years at describing the smell produced when the plant is in operation. It's been described as smelling like a pile of rotting seafood that's been set on fire, and like rotting lobsters mixed with burnt wires.
For months, the company has not responded to requests for interviews.
Company founder and part-owner Omer Gaudet, reached on his personal phone last Wednesday, indicated he would be available for an interview on Friday, but several calls and messages left on Friday and Monday have gone unanswered and unreturned.
In a statement of defence filed in March in response to a lawsuit against the company and its owners, the company denies all accusations against it, including releasing any "noxious or offensive smells."
Kent North MLA Kevin Arseneau spoke on behalf of Richibucto residents at the legislature in Fredericton last month. (Jon Collicott/CBC)
With the company's approval to operate set to expire at the end of the month, McNaughton hopes the Department of Environment "will do the right thing" and not renew the document.
On Friday, department spokesperson Vicky Lutes said a new approval has not yet been issued.
McNaughton said her group will continue to make its position heard until the province makes its decision known. So far, she said, she's received "radio silence" from all of government officials she's contacted.
"What is it going to take to have this nightmare end?" she wondered. "Am I going to have to lose a friend, neighbour, or family member before our cries are heard?"
Hundreds of complaints
After getting the results of a request for information from the province, McNaughton said she's now worried about the mental health of people in her community who have been living with the stink for years.
The 659-page document lists hundreds of complaints since 2017, including 455 complaints between mid-April and mid-June alone, said McNaughton.
Residents say they can't go outside and enjoy their own properties. They describe how the smell even permeates inside their homes so they cannot escape it. Some have been forced to leave their homes when the smell is really bad, and children at a school located on the same street as the plant have been kept inside on bad days.
Maisie
Rae McNaughton is founder of the 'Stop the stink' campaign in
Beaurivage — the governing entity that includes Richibucto — and a
member of the Kent clean air action committee. (Jon Collicott/CBC)
McNaughton said her heart breaks for the person whose complaint is listed on page 526. The woman said she feels "like taking her life" when the plant operates, according to the official who took the woman's phone call on May 3. The RCMP were notified about that call and were asked to do a wellness check.
On June 1, a resident sent an email to complain, "It's 35 degrees out and we can't even put our air conditioning on because the smell comes in the house. For the love of god, something has to be done!"
As far back as 2017, residents were worried the smell may be harmful to their health.
By 2019, one resident said it was bordering on "the edge of what is criminal and what is neglect. We have residents who have letters from their physicians stating the plant poses a health threat. With years to resolve the plant issues we have seen little in way of investment to improve the air quality."
In August 2019, someone wrote, "We had tourists from Quebec leave our area due to the smell last evening. I guess the six jobs are more important than an entire industry."
Promised jobs never materialized
In a government announcement in 2016, the company, then called Omera Shells before it relaunched as Coastal Shell Products, said it would create up to 74 jobs, but those never materialized.
At the time, Opportunities NB said it was contributing $2.9 million in the form of a $440,000 payroll rebate and $2.5 million in term loans.
The company report obtained by the Kent clean air group reveals that there are only six permanent staff, although more are hired temporarily during the drying season.
The package of information released by the province includes an internal email between government officials that revealed concerns for École Soleil Levant, the school on the same street as the plant.
T"And some teachers are strongly considering calling their union over this issue," the message said, "I think the recurrence of this issue and the impact on the school warrant returning the plant to [its] pre fall 2021 operating window. It would seem that it is a matter of time before the school is forced to close over this problem."
The
Coastal Shell Products plant can be seen in the distance, beyond a
stand of trees, from École Soleil Levant. Both are located on Morgan
Street in Richibucto. (Google Street view)
Another resident wrote, "We cannot keep living like this. This is madness and a direct attack on human rights."
In a June 1 email to government officials, including Premier Blaine Higgs and Environment Minister Gary Crossman, a resident said it's time to shut down the plant.
"The stigma the community is now receiving from this poorly planned infrastructural nightmare has and will continue to affect community growth, property values and the mental health of those who have to live with it," the resident wrote.
Another complained that they were unable to sell their house because of the smell.
Another complainant said, "It's about time the environment does something about this or else Richibucto is going to be a ghost town."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richibucto residents filed lawsuit against company they say is stinking up their town
Coastal Shell Products denies all allegations, tells plaintiffs to prove it
"They've had the chance to fix it," he said of the company that operates in the small community, around 80 kilometres north of Moncton.
"They've been saying that they're gonna fix it for the past six years and I think they've had their time to do it. And so yes, at this point, I think the solution is that they need to close."
Arseneau made the case in the legislature on Tuesday, while a group of affected residents from the town looked on. They made the trip from Richibucto to hold a protest and to present a petition to have the company shut down.
Arseneau joins concerned citizens from Richibucto at the legislature in Fredericton on Tuesday. (Jon Collicott/CBC)
Arseneau said he will continue to work with government officials and with residents "to continue to put pressure" on the government. He said he'd like to see a stop-work order issued for the site.
"And once they're gone, it's important to rezone that property."
At the heart of the issue is "a planning error," said Arseneau. He said the property should never have been zoned for an operation with such a huge impact on its neighbours.
Claudette Robichaud is one of those neighbours. She lives 400 metres from the plant and struggles to adequately convey how much it stinks when the plant is in operation, which is nightly from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
"It's so rotten, you can't stay outside, you'll vomit … in the space of maybe two or three minutes — it's that disgusting. It's like rotten shells mixed in with chemicals and almost like burning materials all mixed together."
Claudette
Robichaud, co-chair of the Kent Clean Air Action Committee, is one of
seven Richibucto residents suing Coastal Shell Products and its owners. (Submitted by Claudette Robichaud)
Residents got a two-day reprieve from the smell after the Environment Department shut the plant down last week. After the company submitted a plan to mitigate emissions, it was given the green light to resume operations Saturday.
Lawsuit alleges loss of enjoyment of property
Robichaud is one of seven Richibucto residents who filed a lawsuit in February against Coastal Shell Products and its four owners, Denis Albert, Stephane Boudreau, Louis Bourgeois and Omer Gaudet.
The plaintiffs allege the company is emitting "noxious and offensive smells" and excessive noise and light that interfere with their ability to use and enjoy their property.
"The matters complained of have caused annoyance, discomfort, distress and loss of amenity and the Plaintiff has thereby suffered and continues to suffer loss and damage," according to the statement of claim.
JoAnne
Robichaud, chair of the Kent Clean Air Action Committee, said if the
company wants to remain in business, it should move away from
residential areas. (Submitted by JoAnne Robichaud)
No one from Coastal Shell Products has responded to several interview requests, but they did file a statement of defence in March.
In it, the company denies all accusations against it, including releasing any "noxious or offensive smells."
They also deny emitting excessive noise and light and challenge the plaintiffs to prove any ill effects.
Like lobster shells 'rotting in the sunshine'
JoAnne Robichaud, chair of the Kent Clean Air Action Committee and another plaintiff in the lawsuit against the company and its owners, has become adept at describing the smell, but says anyone who hasn't experienced it in person probably can't grasp how bad it is.
"It's a combination of rotting shells on the lobster, crab or shrimp shells, rotting in the sunshine, with a mixture of rotten eggs."
Coastal Shell Products has been operating on Morgan Street in Richibucto since 2016. (Alexandre Silberman/CBC)
JoAnne, who is no relation to Claudette Robichaud, said several people have also complained to the Department of Public Safety.
She said an investigator has visited the town and interviewed several people. A spokesperson for the department confirmed an investigation but declined further comment on Wednesday afternoon.
Initially the company promised dozens of good-paying jobs, but JoAnne said those jobs never materialized.
"That never came to fruition. Never. There was never 70 people working there."
She says she's never seen more than six or eight vehicles in the parking lot when the plan is in operation.
Mayor Arnold Vautour believes there are about seven employees. He said the town "tried everything" to resolve the issue, but nothing has worked.
"At the municipal level, we have no power to act," said Vautour.
He said he receives calls and emails every day from citizens complaining about the smell.
Vautour said the company has been given until the end of June to come up with a plan to mitigate the smell. He said he looks forward to hearing what it intends to do.
Residents such as Claudette Robichaud say there's only one solution and that's to stop operating in its present location.
"We've been so impacted by this industry that we can't live anymore. We can't enjoy our property, we can't do anything outside, we can't sell our house."
Robichaud said they would like to sell, but a real estate agent told them that even if they could sell their house, it would likely be far below its assessed value.
"So we're stuck here even though we want to move, we can't."
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2,033 views
David Amos
Published on Apr 4, 2013
Subject:
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007 12:02:35 -0400
From: "Murphy, Michael B. \(DH/MS\)" MichaelB.Murphy@gnb.ca
To: motomaniac_02186@yahoo.com
January 30, 2007
WITHOUT PREJUDICE
Mr. David Amos
Dear Mr. Amos:
This will acknowledge receipt of a copy of your e-mail of December 29,
2006 to Corporal Warren McBeath of the RCMP.
Because of the nature of the allegations made in your message, I have
taken the measure of forwarding a copy to Assistant Commissioner Steve
Graham of the RCMP “J” Division in Fredericton.
Sincerely,
Honourable Michael B. Murphy
Minister of Health
CM/cb
CLEARLY THE RCMP/GRC AND THE KPMG PALS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO READ LET
ALONE COUNT BEANS EH?
Warren McBeath warren.mcbeath@rcmp-grc.gc.ca wrote:
Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 17:34:53 -0500
From: warren.mcbeath@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
To: kilgoursite@ca.inter.net, MichaelB.Murphy@gnb.ca,
nada.sarkis@gnb.ca, wally.stiles@gnb.ca, dwatch@web.net,
motomaniac_02186@yahoo.com
CC: ottawa@chuckstrahl.com, riding@chuckstrahl.com,John.
Oda.B@parl.gc.ca,"Bev BUSSON" bev.busson@rcmp-grc.gc.ca,
"Paul Dube" PAUL.DUBE@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Subject: Re: Remember me Kilgour? Landslide Annie McLellan has
forgotten me but the crooks within the RCMP have not
Dear Mr. Amos,
Thank you for your follow up e-mail to me today. I was on days off
over the holidays and returned to work this evening. Rest assured I
was not ignoring or procrastinating to respond to your concerns.
As your attachment sent today refers from Premier Graham, our position
is clear on your dead calf issue: Our forensic labs do not process
testing on animals in cases such as yours, they are referred to the
Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown who can provide these
services. If you do not choose to utilize their expertise in this
instance, then that is your decision and nothing more can be done.
As for your other concerns regarding the US Government, false
imprisonment and Federal Court Dates in the US, etc... it is clear
that Federal authorities are aware of your concerns both in Canada
the US. These issues do not fall into the purvue of Detachment
and policing in Petitcodiac, NB.
It was indeed an interesting and informative conversation we had on
December 23rd, and I wish you well in all of your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Warren McBeath, Cpl.
GRC Caledonia RCMP
Traffic Services NCO
Ph: (506) 387-2222
Fax: (506) 387-4622
E-mail warren.mcbeath@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
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