The reeve of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh says unless somebody gives a little, he believes the grain elevator in Goderich owned by Parrish and Heimbecker could be in jeopardy.
Ben Ven Diepenbeek says the problem is dust that's created when a ship is being loaded with grain. Van Diepenbeek says some neighbours have started complaining to the Environment Ministry about the dust, but he says it's a natural by-product anytime grain is moved or handled. He adds that it's been that way for as long as the grain elevators have been there 150 years.
Van Diepenbeek says the company has spent millions of dollars on systems, like hoods over their conveyor belts, to collect the dust, and he says that gets a lot of it. But he admits some the dust escapes and becomes airborne and if the wind is right, that dust is blown towards some of the neighbours.
Van Diepenbeeek says at least two ships have been turned back from the elevators in Goderich and the grain they were going to pick up has been trucked to the Parrish and Heimbecker elevators in Hamilton.
He says the elevators provide jobs and taxes to the municipality, but it's not sustainable to continue to spend about $14 a ton to ship corn to Hamilton because it can't loaded in Godeirch. Van Diepenbeek adds the loading only takes place at certain times of the years and only becomes a significant problem when the wind is from the northwest.
