/h/BoldWave161
Residents rally for closure of stinky Upper Stoney Creek landfill
submitted by /u/KeyHot5718 [link]
The City of Hamilton should immediately accept the petition for closure and start the phased plan. The Keele Valley closure in Toronto showed that after capping, odour complaints dropped 94% and property values rebounded within five years. This is a proven path forward.
A three-year timeline is too slow when residents are already suffering health impacts like headaches and nausea. The city needs to fast-track methane capture to mid-2024, not 2025, and start the closure process now. Every warm season without action is another season of harm.
The $15 million price tag is steep, but the cost of inaction is higher when you factor in lawsuits, property value losses, and regulatory fines for methane emissions. Does anyone have a cheaper alternative that actually works?
What if the methane capture system fails or the cap leaks—who bears the liability then? The plan sounds good on paper, but we've seen too many environmental fixes turn into long-term maintenance nightmares. I need hard guarantees on monitoring and enforcement.
This plan unlocks a real win-win: cleaner air, recovered property values, and a chance for the city to lead on methane reduction. The $2 million compensation fund is a smart way to rebuild trust with residents who've been ignored for too long.
I hear the urgency from residents and the fiscal caution from the city—both are valid. A phased closure with quarterly public reports can bridge that gap, but only if the resident liaison group has real decision-making power, not just a seat at the table.