'Public can claim a win': Burnaby councillors vote to cancel organic waste facility in park

On Monday afternoon, Burnaby city council unanimously voted to cancel its approval of an organic waste facility at Fraser Foreshore Park.

"I'm pleased that city council spoke with one voice in recognition that the public does not support the use of parkland for this project," Mayor Mike Hurley said in a press release after the vote.

"I want to thank all the members of the public who respectfully made their positions known."

The decision comes after public backlash against the city's plan from residents worried the facility could negatively affect wildlife in the area.

Since the land is dedicated parkland, the city needs approval from residents to allow the compost facility to go ahead. But council had used an alternative process to approve it, which would have required about 16,000 votes to stop the process.

When Hurley called a special council meeting on Monday to re-consider the alternative approval, he said, "council has heard loud and clear that while this may be the right project, it is not the right location."

Following the vote, he said Burnaby will need to make "big, bold moves" to reach climate action targets, but will do so in the future with a different approach. 

"I look forward to hearing more from residents about what they're prepared to do," Hurley said. 

While Burnaby councillors acknowledged the public's opposition, they said the project is crucial for the city's climate goals. Some councillors highlighted the importance of finding an alternative space for the project's construction. 

"This is a case where the public can claim a win," said Coun. Pietro Calendino, adding the city will now have to go back to the drawing board. 

Public backlash

On Sunday, dozens of Burnaby residents gathered at Fraser Foreshore Park chanting "save our park" and raising signs that read "hands off our park" and save "Foreshore Park."

"This is not acceptable. This is a green space," said resident Parvin Chami.

"We're not going to be backing down until we hear the official word from the city and the mayor that this project is cancelled altogether," said Burnaby resident Eudora Koh, who attended the rally. 

Last week, Hurley said the decision to build the facility was not made lightly.

"To find this size of property anywhere in Burnaby is just about impossible," he said in an interview with CBC's The Early Edition on Wednesday.

"We have done an exhaustive search of other opportunities of where we might be able to do this."

Burnaby currently collects and trucks all green waste, like food scraps and yard trimmings, to a private facility in Delta, where it is then processed. The contract costs the city $3.6 million annually.

Building a compost facility in Fraser Foreshore Park would cost $180 million but city staff say it would save the city money in the long run and eliminate pollution from truck transport.

The city says the 8.5-hectare facility would be able to process 130,000 tonnes of organic waste a year.