LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – Lethbridge acreage owners Irvin and Jackie Duncan were shocked when their application to renew their mortgage was turned down last November.
The Duncans live across the road from the proposed hog processing plant owned by the Yuan Yi Agriculture and Livestock Enterprise Co. Ltd. Their lender told them the application was refused because their property is next to intensive industrial development with a negative environmental impact.
The couple ended up finding another lending company who agreed to renew their loan as an unconventional mortgage at 13 percent for one year.
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The plant was undergoing an environmental review at the time and the original lender wouldn’t take the risk until more information was known. It eventually passed the review, but the deadline to renew with the first bank had passed, said Jackie Duncan in an interview.
They listed their property of 11.7 acres when the hog plant was announced last summer. They have received one serious offer but the price was far below the appraised value.
“We feel betrayed because we may be forced to walk away and leave it because no one is going to buy,” said Duncan.
When they bought the property in 1986, they checked future uses for the land around them and were told land to the north was zoned light industrial and the other sides were owned by the federal government. The Lethbridge Research Station uses the land for research plots and up until last fall it was always under cultivation.
After the plant was announced, Duncans found out the city and the government had done a land swap in 1992, although the land remained under cultivation.
“We’re caught in a squeeze,” she said. They are willing to leave but can’t afford to move unless someone buys the place and they fear they will take a loss on the property.
According to the blueprints, they will have a direct view of the plant unless some alterations are made.
“When I look out my living room window I’ll be looking straight into the holding cells. I’ll be able to watch trucks back in and unload hogs,” she said.
The Duncans explained how they will be affected by the plant before a preliminary hearing set up by the Alberta Environmental Appeal Board Feb. 13.
They were told after the hearing their case will be heard at a later date. If someone, including the company or city, offers to buy them out or compensate them so they can move, they will withdraw their complaint.
Yuan Yi’s Lethbridge lawyer Wayne Peterson attended a portion of the hearing, but refused to make any comments.
The appeal board set up a public meeting in Lethbridge so individuals could explain how building such a facility might directly affect them. If the impact is considered valid, an environmental assessment could be ordered.
Alberta Environment said an assessment was not necessary because plans from the company satisfied all environmental requirements.
The appeal board is not affiliated with Alberta Environment. Created in 1993, it is a seven-member board appointed by cabinet. It hears appeals of administrative decisions regarding such issues as environmental approvals, reclamation certificates and enforcement actions.
The 13 people speaking to the board talked of concerns over odor drifting on the wind and pollution to the Oldman River and Henderson Lake, a man-made lake within the city.
“I have deep concerns that a thorough environmental assessment of the hog plant has not been done. The approval stops at the plant boundaries,” said Bronic Kasperski, who claims he is allergic to the smell of pig manure.
“If the odor from the plant descends on the city, I will be forced to stay inside,” he said.
Senior citizens Ken and Gladys Ikle complained possible odors could affect their health.
Gladys Ikle has breathing problems and odors like ammonia affect her lungs. They are worried other senior citizens with respiratory problems would suffer from plant odor.
The Southern Alberta Environmental Group ,which has about 50 members, told the appeal board it has tried to obtain information about the company, how it does business and how it disposes of wastes. So far, they feel they have been stymied, said president Sylvia Campbell.
Jim Penton, who leads a citizens group protesting against the plant on the basis of it being an environmental hazard, agreed with Campbell.
“We wish we knew what has been going on,” he said.
“If the city and the company can prove that this facility is going to be environmentally safe and healthful to the people of Lethbridge and if that can be shown by men of science, then we’ll have to sit back and say this is a reasonable thing to do,” Penton said.
