Lavington pellet plant yet another step closer to breaking ground

COLDSTREAM – A controversial wood pellet plant has made it over another procedural hurdle.

In a split 4-2 vote Monday, Jan. 12, Coldstream council decided to issue Pinnacle Renewable Energies a development permit for its proposed pellet plant on School Road, next to the existing Tolko sawmill.

Mill opponents attended the meeting and asked council to hold off issuing the permit until more is known about the mill’s potential adverse impacts on the community. But Mayor Jim Garlick says council was past all that.

“The development permit is all about form and character. You can’t withhold the permit for other reasons,” Garlick says. “They (Pinnacle) met all the requirements so it was passed.”

Pinnacle has approval from the Ministry of Environment and the Agricultural Land Commission to construct the plant, now all it needs is a building permit.

“Now, I think to get it up and running is a positive thing. It keeps existing employment in the area, enhances jobs, and makes our mills and railway viable,” Garlick says.

The mayor commends the public for coming out and voicing their concerns over what turned out to be a long, and at times emotional, process.

“I think any time the public brings forward concerns like this, legitimate concerns, and makes them understood, we can address them and get something better than we would have if we just rubber stamped it,” Garlick says. “The concerns around the plant going in have led to one of the most stringent air permits that have been issued in the province, according to Ministry of Environment staff.”

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

—This story was edited at 6:20 a.m. Jan. 14 to correct the vote to 4-2, not 3-2 as previously stated. 

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Charlotte Helston

REPORTER

Charlotte Helston grew up in Armstrong and after four years studying writing at the University of Victoria, she came back to do what she loves most: Connect with the community and bringing its stories to life.

Covering Vernon for iNFOnews.ca has reinforced her belief in community. The people and the stories she encounters every day—at the courthouse, City Hall or on the street—show the big tales in a small town.

If you have an opinion to share or a story you'd like covered, contact Charlotte at Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230.

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