Latest news with #AmericanIronMetal
CBC
22-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Residents say they're breathing easier with scrapyard licence unrenewed
The Department of Public Safety confirmed it has not renewed American Iron & Metal's salvage dealer licence, much to the relief of neighbours, who pushed to have the scrapyard moved away from their residential area. A spokesperson for the company said they're disappointed in the decision and weighing options on how to move forward.
CBC
21-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
AIM's Moncton scrapyard approval expires, province says it won't renew it
New Salvage dealer licence required to operate lapsed June 30 The New Brunswick government will not not renew a controversial Moncton scrapyard's expired — and required — dealer licence. The Department of Public Safety salvage dealer licence for American Iron & Metal's operation on Toombs Street expired June 30. In a statement emailed to Radio-Canada Monday afternoon, a spokesperson for the department confirmed it has not renewed the licence. "Given that the company has three months to file an application for judicial review, it would be inappropriate to comment on this matter," Jadesola Emmanuel, communications officer for the department, wrote in French in the email. It's unclear whether the company will have to stop operations at that location while awaiting the results of a potential judicial review. The Montreal-based company, also known as AIM, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The company purchased the site in 2023. Shortly after, residents started calling for the scrapyard to be relocated over concerns about noise, vibrations, smells and trains blocking a city street. AIM is suing the provincial government over its handling of the permits for its Saint John port scrapyard. That site was shut down after a fire in September 2023 that sent a plume of smoke over the city. The shutdown led to AIM increasing activity at its Moncton site where it could ship material by rail. The fire also led to more scrutiny of the company's other operations in New Brunswick by the province. The fire marshal ordered the company to make changes to its Moncton location, which it did. The increased activity led to complaints from residents in the adjacent neighbourhood. The company was forced to reduce the scale of piles of scrap, and to install a wall of shipping containers to reduce noise reaching homes. Despite the efforts, including a third-party report which found the wall did succeed in mitigating some noise, residents still complained. Last year, minister Kris Austin threatened to revoke the company's approval. Days before the provincial election, Austin opted to extend the approval to June 30. The company has a separate approval for handling batteries and hazardous materials through the province's environment department.
CBC
06-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Saint John council backs restricting future scrapyards to heavy industry zones
Social Sharing Saint John council is moving ahead with restrictions on the location of future scrapyards so that metal recycling operations won't be felt in residential areas. Scrapyards and salvage yards would be kept to heavy industrial zones under an amendment councillors supported on Monday night. The yards would no longer be allowed in areas zoned for medium industry, which have looser restrictions on how close industry can be to residential areas and how much a related nuisance can extend past the business's property. Mayor Donna Reardon praised the city's efforts to consider how zones may affect residents. "Because we are trying to create a balance," she said. "We don't want to have areas where there's a spread of heavy industry, medium industry, light industry … we'd like to have things more segregated so that we have just better control over them." Reardon said there is greater opportunity for growth when industrial zones are spaced out and kept away from residential areas. "They just don't work close to residential," she said. Scrap and salvage businesses can involve significant outdoor storage, heavy truck traffic, dismantling operations and potential environmental hazards. Under the current zoning bylaw, scrapyards can exist in areas zoned medium industrial, which allows developments with a lot of noise, odours and other nuisances as long as these are kept within the boundaries of the business. But a property can be too small to contain nuisances from a scrapyard, which generally involve significant heavy truck traffic, large dismantling operations and potential environmental hazards. The proposed change comes two years after a toxic fire at the American Iron & Metal scrapyard on the west side. The hazardous smoke from the fire prompted a widespread shelter-in-place order in the city. A task force later concluded the metal recycling operation was too close to homes. Since the AIM scrapyard was on port land, its licensing was under federal jurisdiction, but Reardon said the zoning amendment before council will make a difference to areas under the municipality's jurisdiction. "Because we'll have the scrapyards and recycling of the scrap metal in heavy industry — those zones would be limited," Reardon said. "It just gives us a little bit more opportunity to provide restrictions where we want to put them." When the recommended change was introduced earlier to the planning advisory committee, city staff said it was not connected to the 2023 fire. A staff report said the change would bring Saint John in line with other major cities in the province, most of which confine salvage and scrapyards to heavy industry zones. Council gave the zoning bylaw amendment first and second reading. It would still need a third formal reading for final approvals. Paula Radwan was the only councillor to vote against the change, saying she was generally in favour of the recommendation but thought fencing requirements weren't high enough. Scrap and salvage yards in Saint John have to be enclosed by fencing or a wall two metres high, but Radwan asked if the height could be raised. City planner Thomas Lewallen, who presented the recommendation to council and, earlier, to the planning advisory committee, said that it would be possible to make amendments in future zoning changes to heavy industrial areas. Five addresses in Saint John have salvage dealer licences, a staff report says. Two of those properties don't have scrapyards but are instead businesses intended for office work, staff have said.
