Hello Gary Holman

I have several problems that I need my C.R.D. rep to address

Through the F.O.I. process my neighbors and myself have discovered that Laurie Hedger has applied for a Class One WasteTransfer Permit which would allow Public Access to his Lee's Hill property.

There has never been any Public Access Waste Transfer Operation on Lee's Hill.

While I have uncovered clandestine activities, there has never been continuous use (as defined in the Local gov't act) of the Hedger property for waste transfer.

The garbage operations of L Hedger have never totaled 2.2 acres. As an Island resident of some years you may recall the Hedgers and employees denying waste transfer and telling all and sundry that they were just parking one truck until the next available ferry.

Residents will be challenging the Trust on Hedger's latest allegations, the only thing slowing this down is the lack of details from the Trust.

The drawing of the proposed works I saw calls for a 100ft by 40 ft concrete rolloff pad, a septic field and buildings  which are not there now.. 

The drawing of the works, in relationship to residences does not include all residences. Conspicuously absent is the mobile home residence of Hedger's sister. Perhaps because this occupation is another violation Trust bylaws.

Under the dust management portion of his application Hedger has admitted to adding a second truck or two.

Hedger has added two trucks, and employees and expanded the hours and days of his one truck operation existant in Nov. 98. This was the year this operation was supposed to be frozen by section 911 of the Local Gov't Act. The hours are not established. Contrary to what Hedger says in his application. Current dust management is inadequate.

Permitting the above constructions and additional equipment would be expansions of the operations in relation to the land and would be a violation of the Local Gov't Act section 911. This act specifically states that nonconforming operations cannot expand in scale. 

The proposed three ft. berm won't do much. It will do nothing to protect residents from noise and noise from traffic. Especially when it slumps down to a small bump. The hedge is not defined and consequently this will consist of small trees which will take 20 years to be of any use.

In the past I have complained several times to the C.R.D. about the problems being generated by the Hedgers and nothing has ever been done.

At the beginning of last year, on the advice of C.R.D.'s John Craveiro  I formally complained about the noise and dust, in writing, again, no response. Finally I sent a registered letter.  Someone ( we later discovered through F.O.I. was animal officer Wolfgang) went around to neighbors who work away from their properties, or were so far away as to not be effected and introduced himself as a friend of Lauries and asked if there was any problems with the noise.

Harry Warner and myself the direct neighbors who own the 13.5  surrounding acres and who complained about the noise and dust were ignored. Lisa Rainsford another direct neighbor says she was never contacted. The dust and noise continue.

Under the F.O.I. we were able to discover that Hedger referred the officer to his lawyer and the lawyer wrote that Hedger's operations were existing non-conforming and that the noise created was part of those operations and could not be constrained by noise bylaws.

Compliance with local noise laws is a condition of license

How can any license now be issued to Hedger when his lawyer has already stated that Hedger can not be constrained by the local noise bylaws??

On Oct 16 02 I emailed Miles Drew complaining noise and leachate resulting from the steaming out of a garbage truck approx. seventy feet from my well. I have never received any acknowledgement or follow up.

I will forward this email to you.

Despite sitting on the committee which drafted the bylaw 2018 and which required a license as of Nov 02, as far as I know Hedger continues to operate without one.

Three years and thousands of dollars later it would appear the C.R.D.'s promises of leveling the playing field, not allowing grandfathering and addressing the concerns of neighboring properties was a crock.

The only thing that has been clearly established is another off island C.R.D. cash flow.

This failure of the original Solid Waste Transfer Committee should be addressed before we move on to recyclables. Perhaps the terms of reference of the new committee should include this situation.

I'm sorry to have to dump this all on you at this time, but it's been building up because of a failure to enforce laws, or release information and Trust/Crd buck passing.

Quick action is required here because licensing and site approval is going on incamera, John Craveiro is determining what is acceptable for us. We neighbors are not being consulted and we never have been. We have to rely on F.O.I. to find our what's going on.

Tom Pickett

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