Griffintown factory mulls relocation after health complaints from nearby residents
A neighbourhood conflict between an industrial factory and a housing co-operative in Griffintown is raising questions about the Southwest borough's urban planning.
Thermetco, a company that offers heat treating services, is located across from Coopérative D'Habitation Tiohtiake on William Street.
The company brings dozens of jobs to the area, but it may be forced to move off island following complaints from nearby residents.
When Alain Goyette moved into the co-op in 2014 he knew he would be facing a factory, but added the promoters promised him the company was on its way out.
Three years later, the Thermetco factory is still in operation.
"I have dust on my ears, my eyes, my nose, on my vocal chords," he said.
Goyette believes he's had health problems caused by chemicals emitted from the factory.
When the air exchanger is left on overnight, Goyette added, he wakes up with an inflamed throat.
He is now undergoing tests to determine the damage to his health.
The company, for its part, said it's been trying to reduce the pollution and noise coming from the factory.
"We invested a quarter of a million dollars to mitigate the issues," general manager Jean-Sébastien Lemire said.
But despite their best efforts, Lemire believes it will never be enough to satisfy the co-op's residents.
"At the beginning of this year, we decided to put the factory up for sale," he said.
70 local jobs at risk
If they manage to find a buyer for the Griffintown factory, Lemire says Thermetco may move off island, a decision that could potentially put 70 local jobs at risk unless employees relocate.
"We don't want to lose them," said David Pagé, the chief of staff for Southwest borough Mayor Benoit Dorais.
Pagé said the borough is now "working very hard" to find a new site for Thermetco within the Southwest or nearby to save the jobs.
City councillor Craig Sauvé said the borough wouldn't be in this situation if it had done its homework before approving the housing project in the first place.
"Now we're in a situation where the residents are living with a real nuisance," he said.
Sauvé says the city's environmental and industrial departments are still at the stage of determining whether the smoke is dangerous or not.
"We don't even have that analysis right now," he said.
The borough said it did not have complete information on industrial activity in the area at the time that the housing co-op was built.
