A proposed slaughter plant on Calgary’s northeastern outskirts is facing unexpected opposition from the suburbs.
Residents opposed to the plant are planning a rally to show their displeasure during a public hearing before city council on Sept. 13. Residents have petitioned the city asking that the plant locate elsewhere. They are concerned that odour from processing could devalue property and drive away proposed shopping developments.
The Calgary Area Planning Commission is examining the technical aspects of the plant proposed to handle about 700 cattle per day. The commission suggested investors in Ranchers’ Beef explain their plans more fully to the public.
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As major investors in the $23 million plant, representatives from Sunterra Farms are perplexed over the discord. Sunterra owns one-third of the company while 45 producers hold the remaining shares.
“People got some incorrect information to start with. Their impression is totally different than what the reality is,” said Sunterra spokesperson Ray Price.
The plant would be located on a 57 acre parcel bordering the Municipal District of Rocky View and the Calgary city limits.
It is six kilometres from the nearest suburb of Saddleridge in northeastern Calgary.
The land is near a gas fired power plant, a sulfur gas processing plant and several sour gas wells. This means no homes can be built within 1.2 km of the gas plant property.
If approved, the slaughter plant plan calls for a 68,000 sq. foot building that could employ as many as 230 people. Construction could start this fall. However, the area has not been officially zoned for industrial use.
The blueprints call for an enclosed plant with mechanical ventilation and no rendering facilities. Sealed trucks will haul away waste material.
The area was selected because it is undeveloped and could tap into the city water system. Waste water will be treated before it leaves the plant and then released into the city treatment system.
Price pointed out there are other processing facilities within the city where no one complains. For example, XL Foods is one km from a major hotel and about three km north of the southeastern neighborhood of Ogden-Lynnview.
