Moncton scrapyard told to cut noise as minister mulls revoking licence

A Moncton scrapyard that's drawn the ire of residents has been given three months to cut back on the noise it makes as a provincial government minister continues to weigh yanking its licence.

American Iron & Metal's scrapyard on Toombs Street in Moncton has separate approvals through two government departments. 

Clarissa Andersen, a spokesperson for the Department of Environment and Local Government, said Thursday afternoon that the department has extended the company's approval to operate to Nov. 30. The approval applies to the operation of a hazardous waste battery collection, transport and transfer station. 

The extension includes a condition requiring it to implement a noise mitigation plan within 90 days that Andersen said "is intended to address noise from operations."

The company, known as AIM, has a separate licence from the Department of Public Safety through the Salvage Dealers Licensing Act.

In May, Public Safety Minister Kris Austin sent a letter to the Montreal-based company that said he was considering suspending or revoking the salvage dealers licence.

Austin gave the company until June 14 to respond. The company was then given until July 26 to provide more information. Last week, a spokesperson said the company had provided more information and it was being reviewed by the minister. 

So far, no decision has been made.

"Minister Austin is continuing to review and carefully consider AIM's submission before making any decisions about its salvage dealer licence," Allan Dearing, a spokesperson for the department, said in an email Friday afternoon.

Lewisville resident John Cormier lives a few hundred metres from the scrapyard and wasn't happy to hear about the extension. 

"I'm very, very upset," Cormier said Friday. "Very mad."

Cormier doesn't expect the noise mitigation plan to make a significant difference. He reiterated calls neighbours have made to have the scrapyard relocated away from homes. 

He hopes Austin decides to revoke the licence. 

"Go ahead, take the licence away because they don't respect their neighbours," Cormier said.

The company, and a lawyer representing it in legal cases against the province, did not respond to a request for comment.

AIM's operations across the province have come under intense scrutiny in the aftermath of a massive fire at its Saint John port location last year. The Sept. 14 fire sent a cloud of smoke over the city, prompting a shelter-in-place order and halting its operation. 

The shutdown of its port site led to an increase in activity at AIM's Moncton location and complaints from nearby residents about noise, smells, trains blocking streets, and debris falling into an adjacent waterway.

Residents held a protest near the site in May calling for the scrapyard to be relocated. 

Austin's May 23 letter to AIM said the Toombs Street site had violated the Salvage Dealers Licensing Act, the Fire Prevention Act, the Unsightly Premises Act and Moncton municipal bylaws, and is not zoned properly.

He said operations have "intensified and changed" since AIM took over from the previous licence holder at the site in 2023.

The letter said the site is within 300 metres of two public parks, a playground and a children's centre, all of which are against the Salvage Dealers Licensing Act and the Unsightly Premises Act. There are also 200 residential homes within 300 metres of the operation.

Last year, AIM admitted to operating the Toombs Street site without approval and was fined $292.50.

AIM has launched several legal challenges against the province related to its Saint John port location, including a judicial review of Austin's decision to revoke its salvage dealer licence. Those cases are scheduled to return to court in Saint John on Aug. 8.