An Ontario Municipal Board hearing into the controversial decision to allow Colacem to build a new cement plant near L’Orignal is still set to begin at 10 a.m. on November 9, and now the information is available on how to watch and listen to the proceedings.
For those planning to watch the hearing online, the Zoom link is https://zoom.us/j/97505929893?pwd=TlhjTjVBZ1ZyWmE4TkxjZlZwY1lTZz09
The meeting ID Zoom viewers must enter to access the hearing is 975 0592 9893, and the passcode they also must enter is 856658.
To listen by telephone, dial toll-free 1-647-374-4685 from within Canada, and 1-888-475-4499 toll-free in the United States.
The hearing will also be available for viewing on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxDAcq6BD8wgOUfSV-yGVRA/videos
Everyone watching and listening to the hearing is reminded to have their microphone muted and webcam turned off during the hearing so the proceedings are not disrupted.
Originally, the hearing was to be held at the United Counties of Prescott and Russell council chambers in L’Orignal. However, COVID-19 restrictions made that unfeasible.
The case involves two appeals connected to the proposed plant. Champlain Township council rejected the zoning changes needed to construct the facility and Colacem appealed the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board, which has since become the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). However, the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) council later approved the same proposed zoning changes. Action Champlain, a citizens group opposed to the Colacem project, objected to the decision (the eight mayors on UCPR council were not unanimous in their support), and filed an appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board. The case will be heard as an OMB case because it was filed under that former tribunal.
The path has been long to the beginning of the official hearing. A prehearing was held on September 1, 2017 at the Provincial Offences Court in L`Orignal where a formal hearing was scheduled for September 4, 2018. However, that hearing was adjourned. A case management conference was held at the UCPR council chambers in L’Orignal on February 18, 2020, and again by telephone on September 29.
