A parking lot used by the John McGivney Children’s Centre in Windsor has been closed due to methane gas concerns.
On Friday, the City of Windsor fenced off the centre's south parking lot to comply with an order from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate (MOECC).
The city says discussions with the ministry on methane mitigation from the nearby Malden landfill are ongoing.
"We know losing the parking lot is an inconvenience and we hope the inconvenience will be as temporary as possible," says City Engineer Mark Winterton in a media release.
The city says it has been planning to install a vapor barrier in the parking lot to prevent the potential of methane migration from the landfill. However, the city wants to ensure it is in a position to fully comply with the ministry's Environmental Compliance Approval conditions.
“We don’t want to spend money installing a barrier if it will not adequately address the concerns of the MOECC, that would be a waste," says Winterton. “So we’re fencing off the parking lot while we meet with the ministry again to see what we can work it out."
According to the city, there have been no readings of methane inside the McGivney building, and there have been no change in readings in the parking lot south of the building. However, the parking lot sits on a closed landfill and some methane is inherent to the location.
Parking for staff is currently being offered nearby at Mic Mac Park.
