It seems as though Source Energy Services may not be moving forward with plans for a crude-by-rail facility in the Town of Wembley.
That comes after town council members voted not to approve a bylaw change that would move the facility from discretionary use, which requires public consultation before changes are made, to permitted use, meaning the public would not need to be informed of future changes.
A statement from Source Energy Services spokesperson Annie Dormuth says the company will continue to work with the town but doesn’t plan to move forward with anything else right now.
“At this time Source does not have any definitive plans for additional investments at the Wembley terminal. It’s our view that the bylaw amendment was intended to allow Town Council the ability to better work with businesses like Source that were looking to grow in Wembley.”
At a public hearing, residents packed the Helen E. Taylor School music room for a public hearing and around 20 people spoke in opposition of the change with only Source Energy Services speaking in favour. 180 letters were also submitted to the town prior to the hearing.
Those 20 people shared a lot of the same concerns that have been voiced since the first public meeting back in January, namely safety, smell, noise, and increased traffic.
“With dramatically increased noise, frequency of noise, transfer of oil, huge storage tanks, flare stacks, completion chemicals, the town will forever struggle to sell itself as a great place to settle and raise a family. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to put their family right next to an intensive industrial facility unloading hazardous products,” says resident Dale Anderson.
The proposed crude-by-rail facility was set to run out of the current Source facility that has been operating in Wembley for the last few years.
