Author: Laurie Watt

With its relationship with Northern Ethanol already so icy it’s on the rocks, Barrie is poised to approve an interim control bylaw, which will freeze development on the old Molson brewery site.

Councillors overwhelming supported a recommendation by planning director Jim Taylor to implement the bylaw, which could be approved as early as Dec. 3. Citing unreasonable delays by the city to review its site plan application submitted in May to redevelop the site to accommodate the plant that will distill corn into the fuel additive, Northern turned to the Ontario Municipal Board in September; the Planning Act sets a 30-day timeline.

“An interim control bylaw is not taken lightly. This is the fourth time Barrie has considered the passage of an interim control bylaw (in the past 20 years, since he became planning director), and only the second time staff has recommended and supported (it),” said Taylor, noting the last time he recommended the measure, the OMB agreed and disallowed a development that would have resulted in six, low-rise student barracks on the site at the corner of Duckworth Street and Bell Farm Road. The development includes a mix of high-rise, low-rise condos and ground-floor commercial.

“We have a spectrum of industrial zones, ranging from the most-prestigious Business Park to restricted, which is where the more noxious uses would be located,” he said, explaining the city needs to examine which category would be most appropriate for ethanol production – a process that has raised significant public concern about noise, odour and truck and train traffic.

He added because the city must intensify under the province’s Places to Grow policy, the city must ensure each parcel is developed most appropriately. “We have to understand the impact of enabling ethanol production would have.”

Northern Ethanol, however, has threatened further legal action because the city’s actions are “so clearly directed at Northern.”

“If Northern is unable to proceed with its development in a timely manner, it would be unable to apply for and receive the federal government grant currently available to the alternative fuel industry. Together with its significant expenditures to date and commitments to its financial institution, losses could total upwards of $100 million,” Northern’s lawyer Chris Barnett told the city

“Northern will be considering its further legal remedies against the city in respect of damages suffered as a result of the city’s actions.”

That prompted Ward 5 Coun. Lynn Strachan to vote against the staff recommendation, although her colleagues supported it. “Why would we risk more litigation?” she said.

Ward 7 Coun. John Brassard led the fight for the bylaw.

“Nothing has been as contentious as the ethanol issue,” he said. “Six (of us) were elected without any knowledge or background. It took time for us to get our legs under us. We’re still not there. We’ve heard overwhelming public concern and it would be irresponsible for us to ignore that,” he said.

“So many questions still need to be answered. An interim control bylaw will allow the time to study and examine the appropriateness (of distilling corn in an urban centre.)”