A Guelph-Eramosa Township councillor is tabling a motion asking council to reject the Xinyi glass plant application because it doesn't conform to the township's bylaws.
Ward 1 councillor David Wolk gave notice of the motion last week and it should be up for discussion and vote at the July 16 council meeting.
Wolk’s motion says that the proposed 2 million square foot float glass facility does not conform with the township’s current zoning bylaw that has the property zoned for “rural industrial” use, which “shall be dry uses.”
The facility is expected to use over 1 million litres of water per day.
“I want to be clear, it’s a vote on whether the township should adhere to its comprehensive zoning bylaw,” Wolk said, and not based on other issues or emotions regarding the highly controversial proposal.
He said he sees no reason why his motion would not be on the agenda that night, although until he sees that agenda posted on the township web site the Friday prior to the meeting, "anything is possible."
Wolk sees no reason it won’t be voted on by the five members of council, which in itself could be a revealing process.
“It will be the great moment of truth,” Wolk said, adding that he doesn’t know if his motion would pass.
“All I can tell you is that we have people on council that seem to have have little or no consideration for any of the consequences if this development goes through,” he said.
“We have others who seem to be concerned. I truly would be hard-pressed to tell you how a vote on this thing might turn out.”
Wolk said that council has to lift itself above whether it wants or doesn’t want the development and focus on whether the application adheres to the bylaw that council created.
“I realize the term ‘dry’ has any number of interpretations, but you can only stretch it so far before ‘dry’ becomes ‘wet,’” Wolk said.
Wolk, who has been on council eight years, said he realizes that no matter what happens with his motion, this whole issue could end up before the province’s new land tribunal, which is the appeals process that has replaced the Ontario Municipal Board.
“It would be foolish to believe that they wouldn’t take this to the land tribunal” if his motion is successful on the 16th, Wolk said.
“It could end up there either way.”
Wolk’s notice of motion reads:
“Notice of Motion Re: COMPREHENSIVE ZONING BY-LAW 40/2016, SECTION 14 – RURAL INDUSTRIAL (M1) ZONE By-law of the Corporation of the Township of Guelph/Eramosa WHEREAS COMPREHENSIVE ZONING BY-LAW 40/2016, SECTION 14 – RURAL INDUSTRIAL (M1) permits dry industrial uses and limited service commercial uses which require large lots, proximity to transportation routes, and/or need to be close to rural resources; and WHEREAS Industrial Uses under the Rural Industrial (M1) designation shall be “dry” uses which do not use significant amounts of water and which do not produce significant amounts of effluent; and WHEREAS the Applicant Xinyi Canada Glass Limited has publicly stated that at minimum, it will require 1.6 Million litres of water per day for its manufacturing process; and WHEREAS Council has not received any further information from Xinyi Canada Glass Limited that indicates that it meets the Zoning bylaw definition of “dry use;” NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT The Council of The Corporation of the Township of Guelph/Eramosa REFUSES the application by Xinyi Canada Glass Limited under COMPREHENSIVE ZONING BY-LAW 40/2016, SECTION 14 – RURAL INDUSTRIAL (M1) since the requirement of “dry use” is not met in the current application. Councillor Wolk Councillor, Ward 1 Township of Guelph/Eramosa
