Churchill’s only waste-storage facility burns to the ground
Churchill’s only waste-storage facility is a total loss after a fire burned it to the ground last week.
Churchill Mayor Michael Spence said the fire broke out last Thursday night at the town’s L5 waste transfer station.
“The roof structure was compromised and at that point, the firefighters had to move into a containment situation. Luckily nobody was injured,” Spence told CTV News Winnipeg by phone.
The building that was originally built in the late 1940s as a military facility was used to store garbage during the winter months while the ground was too frozen to bury it. It was also home to the town’s recycling program.
Spence said the culprit of the fire was likely combustion. The building is a total loss, and was insured, he said.
The facility that once stored Churchill's waste during the winter months is shown in a 2017 photo. (Town of Churchill)
Manitoba’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt said members of her team are on the ground in Churchill to offer support.
“We're still working on exactly what those short-term and long-term solutions are going to be but again, we're here to collaborate with them and find the best way forward,” she said.
The mayor said the most pressing issue now is finding a place to store waste. The town’s remote location and its wildlife present challenges. Keeping the waste above ground, for instance, could attract polar bears.
“Churchill is an international destination. The environment and wildlife is pretty close to us, and so these are sensitive issues that we've got to deal with as we find a way to continue to manage our waste properly and effectively," said Spence.
In the long term, the town needs to find a new model for waste management, the mayor says. Work was already underway prior to the fire to potentially bring in a gasification or incineration model.
“We’ve been about two years into this. It takes time, and we need to fast-track this.”
The aftermath of the fire that burned Churchill's waste-storage facility to the ground is shown in an undated photo. (Town of Churchill)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Family of toddler found dead at small-town Ont. daycare no closer to answers after year of investigation
A year has passed since two-year-old Vienna Irwin was found on the property of a home-based daycare in small-town Ontario, but her family says they are no closer to answers of what happened that day.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
Fatal plane crash reported near Squamish, B.C.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has confirmed it is working with local Mounties and the BC Coroners Service after a plane crash near Squamish, B.C. Friday night.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
Three dead after vehicle plunged down a 100-foot embankment in Shediac, N.B.
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
Appeal denied for Edmonton soldier accused of trying to kill her 3 children
An Edmonton woman found guilty of trying to kill her three children has been denied an appeal.