Picton Courthouse, October 27, 2017 (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
It will be another few months before the application regarding a controversial county council ruling, by a Prince Edward County citizens’ group, will be heard in court.
The group, Save Picton Bay, wants to challenge county council’s decision to allow the storage of salt, coke, and other materials at Picton Terminals on the bay.
Council recently voted to sanction the operation as a “legal non-conforming use.”
In its application, Save Picton Bay claims that there is “extensive evidence from surrounding neighbours that the new and/or modified activities at Picton Terminals’ site have created undue additional and aggravated problems such as visual impairment, noise and toxic dust…”
Justice Graeme Mew ruled in Picton court Friday, “it is anticipated that Picton Terminals will be added as a respondent” and has set February 28 as the date for the hearing on the Save the Bay application.
County council was represented in court but Save the Bay and Picton Terminals were not.
Currently, Picton Terminals is the focus of an investigation by the Ministry of Environment for not covering salt piles according to regulations.
Earlier this year. a state of emergency was put in place after a barge partially sank while docked at Picton Terminals, leaking two five-gallon containers of diesel and hydraulic oil in Picton Bay within the vicinity of the water intake. Picton and Bloomfield residents had to boil water for a week following the shut down of the Picton water plant
