After a long cold winter, Rob and Nancy Cormier just want to be outside and enjoy the warm fresh air -- but that's not as easy as it sounds.
The Cormiers live close to the Coastal Shell Products plant, a shell drying facility that takes waste from the fishing industry and processes it into fertilizer and a variety of other products.
They say the stink keeps them inside.
“It’s horrible. It's like dead rotting shells for days and days and days. Once it gets in your nose or in your car or in your house, it's putrid. You can't get rid of it,” said Nancy.
It's also a health issue because Rob has a severe shellfish allergy and carries an Epipen with him wherever he goes.
“The smell is like a pungent smell. It's strong. If you've ever smelled rotten eggs, it's worse than that. I can't even go outside because I'm really allergic to it,” said Rob.
The Cormiers said they’ve been living with the smell since 2017 when the plant opened, but it’s been worse this spring.
“The best scenario for everybody in the town of Richibucto is if the government would invest a little bit more money and solve the problem of the smell,” said Nancy.
According to the province, that’s what they’re trying to do.
A spokesperson for the Department of Environment and Local Government told CTV News they are aware of concerns in the community related to the smell coming from the company’s plant and they continue to monitor odours through frequent visits to the site and by doing odour surveys.
In an email, Vicky Lutes said Coastal Shell Products was required to submit an odour control plan to the department.
On May 1, the department issued a three-month approval plan to the company with conditions:
- the operation of the plant is restricted to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
- the facility is required to conduct testing on their emissions
- the company must submit a schedule of when odour control equipment will be installed
A third-party consultant has conducted the emission testing and a draft report has been submitted to the department, which is now under review.
“Staff from the department also conduct routine odour surveys to confirm the presence of odours,” said Lutes in an email.
Teachers at nearby École Soleil Levant have recently complained about the smell too.
The district education council for the Francophone South School District have reported their concerns to the Departments of Environment and Education for the last few months in hopes of finding a solution and stopping the odours emanating from the plant during school hours.
“This situation has been going on for some time now,” said district spokesperson Jean-Luc Thériault in an email.
Vince Comeau lives about a half-kilometre away from the plant.
He says the smell is having a big impact on his quality of life.
“Of course it is,” said Comeau. “We had a bonfire in the back of the house one day and we had to come inside the house and watch it through the kitchen window because we couldn't stay outside. You can't be outside when it's bad.”
Daniel Allain, the Minister for Local Government and Local Governance Reform, told CTV News on Monday that he is well aware of the situation and the province is taking the matter very seriously.
Allain also said the company is not violating any provincial regulations.
CTV News has made repeated attempts to contact representatives from Coastal Shells Products, but calls and emails have not been returned.
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