A group of Creighton residents are not pleased with a local company’s ongoing rock blasting and crushing work.
During the Sept. 12 Creighton town council meeting, residents Leo Bonsant and Wade Andrusiak presented council with a petition, signed by 29 Creighton residents, requesting that the town take action regarding ongoing work by McKeen’s Trucking at a quarry near Creighton.
“We petition...that the dust and environmental damage being caused by McKeen’s Trucking is detrimental to our neighbourhood along with our health,” reads the petition statement.
“Please accept this as a request for some changes to be made in order to maintain the health and cleanliness of our neighbourhood and community.”
Bonsant and Andrusiak spoke to council about their experiences with the blasting and crushing this summer. Bonsant said that the dust resulting from the crushing and the loud sound and ground concussion from blasts have upset residents in east Creighton.
“I’ve got grandkids who play on my deck and they couldn’t a couple of times because it was so dusty. My deck is white, my furniture is white, my house is white - it’s supposed to be brown,” said Bonsant.
Rob McKeen, owner and general manager for McKeen’s Trucking, said the company has done crushing and drilling work at its quarry near Creighton for almost three decades, adding a large portion of the company’s work this summer has been supplying material for the ongoing paving project in Creighton.
“We’re crushing asphalt material for that paving going on in Creighton – it’s a finer material. I think on the one day, the wind picked up and it was carrying the dust further than it was on a normal day,” he said. “When you’re crushing a finer material, you’re breaking it down more and creating more dust. That’s what that would have been.”
He said the company complies with all provincial and municipal ordinances and notifies both Flin Flon and Creighton RCMP detachments, Hudbay, the Town of Creighton and City of Flin Flon and other local businesses before blasting.
In addition, the company has used methods to suppress dust at the quarry site, watering down piles and running bar sprinklers on stacks of material.
Bonsant said his home was damaged this summer as a result of blasts.
“The inserts of my windows are broken now, because of the blasts” he said.
For Bonsant and Andrusiak, adding sprinklers and cutting down on dust are a start, but those measures don’t repair property damage they suspect was caused by blasting.
“I don’t want to put anyone out of work or cost them money, but it’s affecting people in Creighton and the kids, you know?
McKeen said crushing and blasting work relating to the Creighton paving project was set to wrap up on Sept. 21 and that Creighton residents, including Fidler and town officials, had been in touch with the company regarding the situation.
“[The talks] were constructive. One thing we did come up with was if the wind was coming hard from the east, towards the town of Creighton, that we would shut down operations during those times if we’re crushing something that’s creating a lot of dust. We don’t make too many products that are this fine, that create this much dust,” he said.
