Champion Petfoods won’t have to pay about $5,400 in fines so long as it keeps its smells in order, the Town of Morinville has announced.
Town administration and Champion announced last week that they had made a deal in regards to the company’s ongoing issues with odours at its Morinville pet food plant.
Town residents and councillors have criticized the plant in the past for sending pungent, greasy smells wafting over Morinville. The town has ticketed the company for about $5,400 under its community standards bylaw because of the smells.
Last year, Champion made many changes to its pet food plant in Morinville to manage these odours, including the installation of a new 35-metre tall smokestack and new Venturi scrubbers that spin smelly dust particles out of the plant’s exhaust stream.
Plant staffers have received few complaints since, Champion president Frank Burdzy told the Gazette in early March. “We’ve seen a significant decline in comments and concerns being expressed by local residents.” Champion planned to do a scientific study of the plant’s odours later this year.
Champion is headed in the right direction on odour mitigation, said Debbie Oyarzun, Morinville’s chief administrative officer, in a press release. “Champion has agreed to stay the course, and the town has agreed to stay the previously issued tickets.” This does not restrict the town’s ability to take further action against Champion in the future, she added.
Champion is committed to being good corporate citizens on all issues, Burdzy said in an e-mail, including odour mitigation. “We know that being a big business and supporting the local economy is not enough. We’re residents too, and we’re committed to odour mitigation and making Morinville a great place to live and work.”
While weather conditions can affect smell intensity, Burdzy said that the number of complaints the plant received last quarter was lower than what they got in the one before. The company had already spent about $5 million on smell controls, and planned to co-ordinate its cooking schedules with the town to work around community events.
Residents concerned about smells from the Champion plant should call 1-855-784-0340.
