CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE March 27, 2018
On March 27, a handful of local residents attended the council meeting in Shawville to voice their apprehension about the recently announced plan for a halal slaughterhouse on the outskirts of town.
The 8,000 sq. ft. facility was officially announced in February. A slaughterhouse had been planned on the same plot land by a co-op of local farmers back in the mid 2000s, but the project eventually fell through.
Shawville resident Robert Hodgins presented a list of questions to council about the project, asking for further details regarding everything from site plans and environmental assessments to potential impacts on local employment.
He also requested that council delay approval of the project until residents have a chance to meet with the owners and get assurances that the project would be a net benefit for the community.

Mayor Sandra Murray explained that the town had held a public consultation in 2005, in regards to the changes in zoning. In 2008, the municipality passed a borrowing bylaw for $2,024,596 to upgrade the waste water system, to both allow for the slaughterhouse project and expansion at the hospital. A special tax was levied in 2009 to help pay for the upgrade.
She added that the building permit had already been issued for the new building, and since they hadn’t heard any complaints about the project until that evening, the project was moving forward as planned.
Clarendon resident Linda Davis questioned whether the environmental assessments conducted many years ago would still be valid. She also asked for further details that the council was unable to provide at the meeting, such as site plans.
Shawville businsessman Lloyd Hodgins questioned why the slaughterhouse would be positioned so close to town, worried that excess smell or noise could have drastic affects on local property values.
Murray explained that a slaughterhouse requires large amounts of water, necessitating the proximity.
She said they were assured that smell and noise would be minimal and questioned why these concerns were being raised so suddenly, as the project had been in the works for many years.
Shawville resident, Donna Andrew, raised concerns about how humane halal methods were.
Many of those in attendance weren’t satisfied with the responses given at the meeting, but Murray said she wouldn’t comment on questions she didn’t have the answers to. She said that while they were beyond the consultation phase, they would work to provide the information requested.
Reached after the meeting, Murray said she wished she had more information on hand.
“Our building inspector wasn’t there, which was unfortunate because we didn’t have what he had,” she said, explaining that he was on holidays. “We were sort of bombarded and we didn’t have answers for people.”
She said she may have come off as more confrontational than she intended.
“I’m really sorry about that. I should have said – but at the time you don’t think properly – that we will get the answers,” she said. “That’s what we’re in the process of doing.”
“We’ve talked to [the owners] numerous times before, but that was at the beginning,” she continued. “We will be talking with them again, and we’ll have a lengthy meeting.”
A meeting with the owners of the slaughterhouse was scheduled for April 3, at Shawville Town Hall.
More details will follow in next week’s issue.