STEPHEN RICCIO
PONTIAC Aug. 19, 2020
The energy-from-waste project that MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller has touted has begun its second phase, according to her, although things are still preliminary.
“We’re beginning the phase two: pre-feasibility,” Toller explained during the post-MRC council scrum. “Which means that by this time next year, we will know what technology and where it will be located. At this point, Pontiac has from the beginning and is still, the willing host.”
The project has been a priority of Toller’s for . . .
most of her mandate, as she has cited its potential to create 50 jobs as well as saving residents of the Pontiac $1 million in avoiding the lengthy truck drives to Lachute Landfill.
The $1 million that Toller has cited refers to the current cost of waste collection and delivery to Lachute, and she said that a large portion of that goes specifically to trucking. While energy-from-waste would still cost money, the trucking costs would be greatly reduced while the energy creation as a result would create revenue.
According to Toller, a technical committee formed by the regional council of wardens, also known as CPO, includes MRC Pontiac environmental coordinator Thierry Raimbault, among other unelected officials from around the Outaouais.
As things currently stand, MRC’s des Collines, Vallée-de-la-Gatineau and the City of Gatineau are on board with Pontiac in searching for a new waste deposit solution. MRC Papineau has opted to stick with Lachute, as they are in much closer proximity to it.
The energy-from-waste company that Toller has repeatedly mentioned as the leading candidate is Covanta. Covanta has facilities located around the world, and she added that choosing a technology that has been widely used is a main component in picking the right partner.
While Toller had heard of interest from Renfrew County and the City of Pembroke, she also would still like to bring the City of Ottawa into the project, although they have committed to using landfill for the foreseeable future.
“We have two choices, we either have a small operation which would be around 100,000 tonnes a year or we go with a big operation,” Toller said. “The small operation could do perhaps just the Outaouais.”
With Papineau opting out, Toller said Gatineau and the three MRC’s together would likely produce closer to 80,000 tonnes of waste.
She added that so far, the project has not required any money from MRC Pontiac’s budget. She did say that they have set $50,000-$70,000 aside for consultant work, but that has yet to be done.
