Thrilled With $2.2-billion Development in Sarnia-Lambton

From Melanie Irwin, Blackburn News.

Local officials are thrilled NOVA Chemicals has announced plans to build its new $2.2-billion polyethylene plant in St. Clair Township.

The Calgary-based company announced Friday the plant will be built on land next to the company’s Corunna Facility at Rokeby Line and Hwy. 40.

“It’s a great announcement,” says St. Clair Township Mayor Steve Arnold. “But, it bodes well for everyone in the community, because it starts out with the people that actually do the work on the site and when a company is looking at a place to locate, they look for a number of different things. Most importantly is the safety aspect of the people that are going to be potential employees, long term and short term on the build, and our community is second to none.”

Arnold is most excited about the project from the environmental perspective.

“It will be the most state-of-the-art facility that’s ever been built in Ontario when it comes to a chemical facility. You’re going to have a lot better emissions control and you’re going to have so many things that are going to be so much more positive, both from the airshed, the watershed and those are the things — I think for us as a community — that is the most exciting piece.”


Link to the rest here.


Thank you for reading.


Editorial Note. The difference in technologies and therefore emissions, between 1973, the sort of historical date of what was once known as the Petrosar plant, and the present day, 2017, are considerable. The land in question is owned by NOVA Chemicals and really isn’t farmland per se. In terms of forest cover, the area in question is quite small. Urban sprawl, new highways, take a far higher toll on the environment, each and every day. That’s not to say there won’t be some environmental concerns, because there always are. The parties are aware of this, including many citizens of Sarnia-Lambton who will receive little direct benefit from the development. They might even suffer some small inconvenience, due to increased traffic, smog, and a tighter, more competitive housing/rental market. If this adds impetus to the widening of Highway 40 or a Wide Load Corridor, this is a good thing. It will be good (or better) for everyone, which almost goes without saying. It will be better for some than for others and such things must be borne in mind.

Bearing in mind a $2.2-billion budget, once must assume a few new trees in there somewhere as well. In a bit of a disclaimer, this writer actually did some work at the existing plant over the years, and even helped to build a small part of it. Hopefully this doesn’t distort his perceptions regarding the present and future development of the site.

—   Zach Neal for Wit Ventures.