CAFES and Partners Discuss Incineration With Ottawa Public Health

Following the Environment and Climate Change Committee (ECCC)'s decision to pursue a follow-up study on incineration feasibility, CAFES and partners Ecology Ottawa, Waste Watch Ottawa, and Prevent Cancer Now met with Ottawa Public Health to discuss health risks associated with incineration.

CAFES believes Ottawa Public Health should be thoroughly consulted in the upcoming study on incineration to ensure health risks are properly considered and costed for in both the study and final decision. In the meeting, OPH confirmed they consider incineration to be an important public health issue and will be dedicating resources to further study. They were willing to look at existing research and provide input on the Terms of Reference for the City's study.

We brought the following recommendations to OPH:

• OPH should be invited by city staff to contribute to the terms of reference of the coming $600K in depth consultancy, in order that health risks and associated potential costs be factored into decision making on solid waste management options.
• OPH should ensure that it is prepared and has capacity to engage and advise the city staff, council and the public on incineration health issues and impacts.
• OPH should provide the city and public with cost estimates for health impacts relating to incineration (using Durham York technology and installation as a benchmark) as an input to the business cases for incineration currently being commissioned by the City of Ottawa through a third party consultancy.

The full briefing presented to OPH is linked here.