In October 2024, GFL launched a community relations initiative to foster better communications with community members living in proximity to the GFL Stoney Creek Regional Facility.

To this end, GFL has:

  • Established a community relations email address ([email protected]), where community members can send comments, questions, or concerns and will receive a direct response from our community relations coordinator.

  • Staffed a dedicated community relations position responsible for having one-on-one dialogue with Stoney Creek community members in person, over the phone and/or by email.

  • Created a dedicated space on our website to summarize key feedback received and responses provided.

Please note that our community relations initiative is distinct from the complaint protocol, which would continue to be used for operational complaints such as odour occurrences.

The following summarizes comments/enquiries that we have received as of February 6, 2025: 

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Community Member Feedback

GFL Response

How does GFL determine strength of odour (i.e. mild, moderate?)

It is recognized that the determination of odour can be subjective. Odour is assessed by several different sources, including:
1. GFL staff routine odour assessments: these are done multiple times a day both on-site and off-site. Staff use a scale of 1-10, with 1-3 being mild; 4-6 being moderate and over 6 being strong.
2. GFL odour assessments as a result of a complaint. The same scale is used as per routine odour assessments.
3. Third party air consultant weekly assessments. GHD air consultants conduct weekly assessments that include the use of a nasal ranger. They also describe odours as slight, strong, etc. The results of these assessments are posted on our main page under the heading “Odour Monitoring”: Stoney Creek Facility
4. Ministry staff conduct regular odour assessments and assessments as a result of complaints and have communicated to GFL mild to moderate odours.
5. The City of Hamilton engaged a third party AtkinsRéalis)to conduct air quality and odour assessment. https://pub-hamilton.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=415784

How does GFL determine whether odour is intermittent?

GHD air consultants define intermittent in their weekly reports as: “The odour comes and goes over the five-to-ten-minute monitoring period” In addition, if upon investigation as a result of a complaint, no odour is detected by GFL at the location of the complaint, the odour would be deemed as intermittent.

Concern that no monitoring of air quality testing since waste relocation activities commenced

Air quality testing since commencement of waste relocation activities include:
1. Continuous air monitoring for particulate matter (PM10) can be found in the annual reports. https://gflstoneycreek.com/document-library
2. Continuous air monitoring for Total Reduced Sulphur (TRS) https://gflstoneycreek.com/
3. Ammonia samples are passively collected continuously over 7 or 14 days. https://gflstoneycreek.com/
4. Ministry staff conducted air sampling in August of 2024.

Why doesn’t GFL report total number of complaints received?

GFL reports on the total number of complaints we received through our complaint line, weekly on our website, quarterly to the CLC, and annually in our annual report.
The MECP tracks complaints that they receive, separately, and to date have generally not provided details of these complaints to GFL.
Moving forward, the MECP has indicated that they will share summarized complaint data with GFL.

Concern that reporting complaints is a waste of time as responses are templated

All complaints are investigated and our odour management plan is followed to mitigate any odours originating from our operations. Information gleaned from complaints are reviewed by our air consultant for trends and in support of improving our management systems.

What health impact assessments have been completed?

As a requirement of our EA/ECA, a health assessment is completed annually by an independent third-party consulting firm (Instrinsik) and the results are summarized in our annual report. This report is submitted to the MECP in June of each year and posted to our website. https://gflstoneycreek.com/document-library

It would be useful to post the City of Hamilton Public Health Services Air Monitoring Studies (conducted by a third party) and the information report summarizing the results to Public Health Committee on the gflstoneycreek.com web page or document library for community access to the report.

Links to the reports listed below have been posted to our Community Relations page on our website.

GFL will also provide the reports to our external consultant that conducts a third-party health risk assessment annually and that is included in our annual report, issued June 30th.

 Report to Public Health Committee:
https://pub-hamilton.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=415782

Appendix A: Results of Sulphur Sampling:
https://pub-hamilton.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=415783

Appendix B: Full report of seven-day air monitoring by AtkinsRéalis: https://pub-hamilton.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=415784

Plans for the leachate processing plantGFL continues to work with the City of Hamilton on necessary planning approvals and will post preliminary/conceptual design of system once approved in concept with the City/MECP. The new leachate pre-treatment plant will be located in the south-east portion of the site within the GFL property adjacent to Desi’s corner.
Plans for relocation of offices for GFLThe Landfill Office will be relocated within the GFL property adjacent to Desi’s corner.
Waste relocation activitiesWith respect to waste relocation activities, all stockpiled waste being relocated is being relocated within the landfill perimeter. The Waste Relocation plan summary is located on the main SCRF page: Stoney Creek Facility.
Community meetingsCLC meetings are held once a quarter. Community members are welcome to gattend by registering at https://gflclc.org . Additional Community Update Meetings are determined in collaboration with the MECP.
Communications with HWDSBGFL staff met with members of the HWDSB in the fall of 2024 to provide an update on how the leachate odour issues were being addressed. Representatives from HWDSB and HWCDSB are members of SCRF’s Community Liaison Committee and receive updates on activities at the facility, including complaints and mitigation measures.
Apollo and BC holding acquisition of certain GFL assetsThe Stoney Creek Regional Facility is not included in GFL Environmental Inc.’s environmental services business, and the divestiture of the environmental services business will not impact the GFL Stoney Creek Regional Facility.