‘Shocked and scared’: Hamilton councillors want warnings of potential dust-cloud demolitions

Hamilton city councillors are calling on the province for changes that would allow the public to be warned about demolitions that could send hazardous materials wafting off industrial sites and onto their homes.

The request comes after a black plume from a demolition on Sherman Avenue North drifted to surrounding neighbourhoods in September 2019.

Delsan AIM, which conducted the controlled demolition of a century-old, 120-foot-high melt shop at the former Hamilton Specialty Bar site, met the requirements of the city's demolition permit process, Coun. Nrinder Nann said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the affected community was shocked and scared by the incident, with no advanced warning of the demolition, no knowledge of its immediate health implications and very little guidance on how to deal with the aftermath."

The company, which is owned by American Iron and Metal, didn't respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

In November 2019, environmental director Ann Marcotte said the company took a number of measures ahead of the demolition, including removing asbestos, oils, paints and acid waste.

But she speculated dust sandwiched between" panels on the upper part of the tower was released when it came down, forming the billowing dust cloud.

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is still investigating the incident, spokesperson Gary Wheeler said in an email Tuesday. As this matter is currently under investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further."

In the aftermath, provincial investigators collected dust samples that a city-hired toxicologist later examined.

That analysis found only trace" amounts of carcinogens and suggested long-term health effects would be unlikely" after exposure to the plume.

But on Tuesday, Nann said the release of those results took more than six weeks and did little to quell" community concerns.

She said her Ward 3 office heard from parents who scrambled to rush toddlers inside after dust settled on them and their toys. In another case, a grandmother worried if vegetables in her garden were still safe for her family to eat.

In an 8-0 vote at the planning committee, councillors supported her call to ask the province to expand requirements for commercial and industrial demolitions under the Ontario Building Code to include mandatory notification" of neighbouring properties.

That written notification would also specify the previous use of the structure to be demolished, a list of potential contaminants, and a plan to mitigate potential effects on human health, air quality, water and soil.

Currently, the city doesn't have the authority to oblige such notifications about demolitions, unlike the public nature of planning applications.

So we would be requesting the authority around notice," Jason Thorne, general manager of planning and economic development, told councillors.

The Ontario government's response to the city's request will dictate how we do it," added Ed VanderWindt, Hamilton's chief building official.

Coun. Lloyd Ferguson, who recalled images of the black cloud in 2019 as disgusting and scary," urged the motion's language not to include all demo permit holders.

Such red tape" shouldn't apply to someone who wants to knock down a garden shed, Ferguson said. So I don't want to swat a fly with a sledgehammer in this situation."

In an emailed response, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said officials look forward" to reviewing the city's recommendations.

The building code is updated regularly to reflect technological advancements, expert research, and input from our partners. Large-scale reviews are undertaken approximately every five years to align with regular updates to the national construction codes," Matt Carter wrote.

The motion, which awaits final approval at council next week, points out Hamilton's demolition permit process does not require an applicant to do more than check a box" to indicate it has met environment ministry guidelines.

It also asks city staff to look at what other municipalities have done on the issue in light of the provincial limitations.

After the 2019 event, area resident Kerry Le Clair called Delsan AIM to organize a community consultation to respond to local concerns.

The onus to push for information about health and safety shouldn't have been on terrified" residents, said Le Clair, who later joined Nann's office as climate action community co-ordinator.

What compounded the worry and freaking out was that we didn't know who to turn to."

After the plume, Delsan AIM had to clean up affected residences, submit a dust mitigation plan for future demolitions at the site and was required to halt further knock-downs until an assessment of the incident was finished, Wheeler noted.

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com