Meeting turns tense as residents question officials over new sewage system in Ingonish

Tom Ayers · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 12:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Tempers flared Tuesday astatine a nationalist gathering connected a $15-million sewage postulation and attraction strategy being built successful the increasing Cape Breton assemblage of Ingonish, N.S.

Engineers and consultants connected the task told the gathering immoderate treated wastewater going into Ingonish harbour would beryllium virtually escaped of bacteria and viruses, but immoderate locals are disquieted astir the cost and the effect wastewater outfall could person connected the sportfishing industry.

Some residents bristled aft being told astatine the commencement of the meeting that they would beryllium allowed to inquire 1 question and, clip permitting, 1 more. County Warden Jackie Organ had to outcry respective times to support power of the treatment arsenic residents spoke retired of crook and two RCMP officers monitored the situation from the backmost of the room.

Despite the tension, Coun. Tim Donovan said helium was pleased with the accusation provided to residents during the astir three-hour meeting.

"The scientists are telling me, and with grounds and with backup, that the effluent that's coming retired of that wastewater attraction works is really amended and healthier than the h2o that's successful the harbour close now," Donovan said successful an interrogation aft the meeting.

"I spot the radical who are the experts, who person been doing this for decades successful respective locations, successful respective tiny towns, and they've had occurrence doing what they do."

Darryl Myette, president of Strait Engineering, told the gathering his steadfast has been progressive successful sewage attraction systems since the 1980s and has done projects successful Afton, Mulgrave, Mabou, Port Hood and St. Peters.

He said the strategy is being designed successful phases, truthful that it could grow successful the aboriginal arsenic residential and commercialized hookups increase.

'Pretty close' to drinking water

Brad MacLean, a hydrogeochemist with Dillon Consulting, said wastewater regulations are "pretty stringent" and the effluent has to beryllium clear.

"It's not rather drinking water, but it's beauteous close," helium told the meeting.

MacLean said helium would not portion it, but helium besides would not portion the h2o presently successful Ingonish harbour.

Osborne Burke, a nonmigratory of Ingonish and wide manager of Victoria Co-op Fisheries, 1 of the county's largest employers, said sewage systems person been known to fail, which could spill earthy sewage and harm the fisheries.

"What happens with overflows if a strategy plugs up oregon a pump fails?" he said successful an interrogation aft the meeting. "We're not opposed to economical development, but it can't beryllium done astatine the detriment of an existing industry."

Hookups not mandatory

Developers and Victoria County officials say the task volition spur tourism and lodging needed for workers.

County officials said Tuesday nary 1 would beryllium required to hook up to the caller system, which is being built due to the fact that of residential and commercialized operation sparked by Cape Smokey Developments, which is gathering a edifice astatine the ft of the skis hill.

Patrick Austin of Skye Glen Consulting, who has a declaration arsenic a strategical advisor doing authorities relations for the skis elevation developer, said 100 residential units are expected to unfastened astatine the ft of the elevation this fall. Sometime this year, operation is expected to commencement connected a micro-hotel, brewery and restaurant, helium added.

He said aboriginal plans for what could beryllium a billion-dollar improvement see installing a 2nd assistance connected the adjacent upland implicit and adding 2,000 accommodation beds successful Ingonish to the 5,000 existing connected each of Cape Breton Island.

"The sooner the septic strategy [gets built] for our reasons, the better," helium said. "We're excited to go the archetypal customer, adjacent though it wasn't being built for us."

Some residents were acrophobic astir the outgo of the sewer task ballooning, starring the region to marque it mandatory for residents to connect, but region officials said taxation rates volition not change and accrued improvement volition wage for the system.

Eastern District Planning Commission manager John Bain said provincial regulations necessitate developments to person a minimum batch size that tin accommodate a septic strategy for that lot, but with a cardinal sewage attraction system, batch sizes tin beryllium smaller, making it much economical to make smaller parcels.

One section nonmigratory told the gathering helium has plans to physique a residential subdivision with up to 50 caller homes, but that would person to spell to different assemblage if a cardinal sewer strategy was not available.

Cape Smokey Developments has donated onshore for the caller sewage attraction works and region officials said instrumentality is already connected order.

Myette said designs for the full strategy are being finalized and operation tenders are expected to spell retired aboriginal this twelvemonth oregon aboriginal adjacent year.

He said the strategy should beryllium operational wrong 3 years.

County officials said they volition beryllium gathering a website to supply residents with much accusation arsenic the task progresses.

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