Those involved in the proposed crematorium at the Dryden Funeral Home will have to wait for Council’s final decision.
Council decided at the final second last night (Tuesday, October 15th) to allow for another special meeting to hear more input and findings on the issue.
The meeting is scheduled for 4:00pm on Friday, October 18th, with Council expected to vote on Monday, October 28th.
Chief Building Official Pam Skillen is recommending Council approve a Zoning By-law amendment to allow the project to move forward, noting considerations related to air quality, emissions, noise and environmental implications have all been addressed.
Skillen says the proposal meets provincial standards and conforms to the City of Dryden official plan.
“The provincial policy statement also includes policies that aim to protect natural heritage features. There are no anticipated negative impacts to natural heritage features as a result of the proposal based on the separation distances and the required compliance approvals.”
Some opponents have been quite vocal about the addition to the Funeral Home, with certain concerns including the impact on wetlands and flood plains.
Skillen says “Where development is located within 125 metres of a wetland, Section 493 of the Official Plan requires the proponent to prepare and submit an environmental impact assessment. The nearest wetland, as designated in our Official Plan, is located approximately 300 metres from the subject lands. Therefore no specific environmental impact assessment was required.”
In terms of mercury concerns, Skillen says “Mercury emissions would be well below any permissible limits. The applicant has stated a staff member would monitor emission levels for abnormalities and would stop the crematorium until such time as needed repairs could be made, again noting the owner has no right to operate the crematorium outside of MECP (Ministry of the Environment and Parks) requirements.”
The City has received two petitions against the project. (159 signature names and 392 signature names)
To read the full report, visit: https://dryden.civicweb.net/FileStorage/A3E42F0E437E420E8E3E2B8EAD56FCFC-Staff%20Report%20-%20Crematorium%20Recommendation%20Report%20.pdf
