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A provincial legislator is urging the Ontario government to “closely examine” a new concrete operation in Canada backed by the wealthy Moroun family of Michigan, citing “deep concern” over potential air pollution and health effects on nearby residents.
Lisa Gretzky, the NDP MPP for Windsor West, penned a letter to provincial environment minister Todd McCarthy on Thursday asking the government to “ensure that any proposed approvals related to these operations are subject to rigorous environmental review, comprehensive air quality assessments, and meaningful public consultation.”
The Morouns, who also own the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit, are behind a new business called CTC Concrete that has popped up in Windsor’s Sandwich neighbourhood, as CBC News first reported earlier this month after analyzing business and government records.
The west end site is in an industrial area near the base of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge. It sits across from residential streets.
Gretzky said in a statement that she wrote the letter to the minister after “hearing concerns from residents about the potential environmental impacts of proposed concrete operations and industrial expansion” in the area.
Some of the Morouns’ exisiting concrete operations in Michigan have been subject to sharp criticism over alleged harm to nearby communities, including poor air quality and blight.
“Understandably these factors have raised serious concerns about expanded operation in the west end of Windsor,” Gretzky’s letter notes.
Gretzky’s letter says the Morouns have also “already caused immense hardship and concern” in Sandwich, where the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge is located, in relation to “their ownership and oversight of derelict homes.”
The Morouns and their representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
The province did not provide a comment before publication.
The Ontario government issued CTC Concrete two approvals last year — a permit to take water from the Detroit River for “manufacturing purposes” and an environmental compliance approval related to air and noise.
The latter says the facility can produce up to 100,000 cubic metres of concrete per year, and notes that emissions from the facility include crystalline silica and hexavalent chromium, among others.
Both approvals followed public comment periods where it does not appear any comments were submitted.
A sign at the corner of the industrial property near the Gordie Howe bridge announces that CTC Concrete is “coming soon.” Documents show the Moroun family — owners of the competing Ambassador Bridge — are behind the new operation, which has already received two provincial permits. CBC Windsor’s Emma Loop reports.
Gretzky’s office says she wants the province to examine the existing approvals and closely scrutinize any future ones. She’s also calling for “meaningful public consultation,” such as a town hall or notifications sent directly to residents.
“Windsor’s west end is home to many seniors, children, and working families,” Gretzky’s letter reads. “It is also a community that faces some of the highest rates of poverty in our region. These residents are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts associated with air pollution and particulate matter. They deserve confidence that their health and well-being are prioritized in every decision that affects their neighbourhood and quality of living.”
Frazier Fathers, the city councillor for the area, previously expressed concerns about the Moroun-backed facility. More recently, he said he has tried to get more information from the province about the two existing approvals, but was told he would need to file a Freedom of Information Act request to access additional details.
