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Judge clears way for Lafarge to burn tires in Brookfield plant

A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has rejected a bid to block the burning of tires at the Lafarge cement plant in Brookfield.

Citizens group requested judicial review of environment minister's decision

Blair Rhodes · CBC News ·
A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has rejected a bid to block the burning of tires at the Lafarge cement plant in Brookfield. (Robert Short/CBC)

A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has rejected a bid to block the burning of tires at the Lafarge cement plant in Brookfield, N.S.

Last summer, provincial Environment Minister Iain Rankin gave the green light to a one-year test project allowing Lafarge to substitute tires for its regular fuel at the facility.

Opponents of the idea went to court to ask for a judicial review of the minister's decision, arguing that Rankin had failed to properly consider the project's potential risk to air and water quality in the area surrounding the plant.

In a decision released Tuesday, Justice James Chipman said there was no reason to overturn the minister's decision.

"The analysis does not require the court to become bogged down in an 'academy of science' review," Chipman wrote.

"In taking a wide-angled perspective, it is apparent that there is no support for the applicants' primary ground on this judicial review. When I evaluate the minister's decision as an organic whole, I find it easily passes muster and must be regarded as an outcome within the range of reason."

The judge said the minister and department staff adequately reviewed the potential risks and requirements of the project before agreeing to let it go ahead.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Blair Rhodes

Reporter

Blair Rhodes has been a journalist for more than 40 years, the last 31 with CBC. His primary focus is on stories of crime and public safety. He can be reached at blair.rhodes@cbc.ca

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