Cleanup Order for St. Catharines’ Former GM Site

The City of St. Catharines, Ont., has given a “repair, replace or demolish” directive to the owners of a long-vacant and polluted site that once housed two auto parts manufacturing plants operated by General Motors.

This order, issued this month, followed an inspection after residents complained about “doors being propped open” at the West Plant located at 285 Ontario St., along with an open gate at the East Plant at 282 Ontario St., according to Mayor Mat Siscoe in an email to CBC Niagara.

“For over a decade a great deal of time, energy and money has been invested in this site by everyone involved,” Siscoe stated in a message to .

“While the orders issued today will not resolve the issues that have prevented redevelopment to date, I hope they will serve as the starting point for a constructive path forward,” he added.

If the owners do not follow through with the order, city officials may impose financial penalties or pursue prosecution under the Provincial Offences Act, said bylaw enforcement manager Paul Chudoba.

MPP Brings Up Issue at Queen’s Park

The city’s cleanup order comes as St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens introduced a motion addressing this concern at Queen’s Park on Wednesday.

Stevens mentioned she’s been receiving calls from worried community groups and environmental advocates urging for cleanup of the 22-hectare site, which is roughly equivalent to 41 American football fields.

St. Catharines NDP MPP Jennie Stevens stands in front of fencing at the East Plant. (Diona Macalinga/CBC)

“Fifteen years after General Motors abandoned the Ontario Street site, St. Catharines residents are still living beside contamination, unanswered questions, and a complete lack of accountability,” Stevens said in a news release.

The motion would make GM responsible for cleaning up the site under the Environmental Protection Act if it passes, according to an NDP news release.

Ontario’s Environmental Minister Todd Mc Carthy noted that follow-up monitoring confirmed “PCBs are no longer an issue in the stormwater,” adding that his ministry will keep track of the city’s cleanup orders.

“Our government expects that all regulated parties can and will follow Ontario’s strict environmental laws, and we will take appropriate action if we see non-compliance that is identified,” Mc Carthy stated at Queen’s Park on Wednesday.

Stevens informed CBC Niagara that Mc Carthy has “promised a meeting” next week to discuss this further.

In 2010, GM halted production at both plants and sold the property to developer Bay Shore Groups in 2014 for $12.5 million.

When asked why Stevens’s motion places responsibility on GM for remediation efforts on-site, she explained it’s their duty for leaving behind 80 years’ worth of contaminants-including carcinogens-in the soil.

<p“ When GM sold the Ontario Street property in 2014 it was in good condition and met Ontario and municipal requirements,” GM spokesperson Marie Binette said in an email to CBC Niagara.

However, environmental assessments conducted on-site during 2010 and 2012-which obtained through freedom of information requests-identified contaminants present in both soil and groundwater.

These include harmful metals and chemicals exceeding Ontario’s safety standards required before industrial sites can be redeveloped into residential areas.

Who Owns The Site Now?

Bay Shore Groups-a redevelopment company with offices located both in St. Catharines and Budapest-acquired this site back in 2014 with plans to transform it into a retirement community featuring hiking trails alongside Twelve Mile Creek along with additional facilities like trade schools as per their website announcement from 2018.

While documents from Ontario land registry show that one of Bay Shore’s subsidiaries currently owns this land now; Siscoe indicated during talks with CBC Niagara that they have “no involvement with this site right now.”

<Stevens-a local NDP MPP-also believes Bay Shore has abandoned their project completely.

Bayshore didn’t respond when asked for comments by .

Evidently both city officials as well as provincial representatives feel Bay Shore has walked away from handling matters concerning these premises; nevertheless cleanup directives were still sent over towards its subsidiary named within current ownership documents.

Diving deeper into who manages these properties now; Halton-based wealth management firm Celernus Investment Partners Inc.-serving as mortgage holder-has claimed responsibility overseeing activities occurring onsite actively throughout recent years while maintaining security protocols including multiple daily patrols plus ongoing maintenance tasks such repairing fences/fates actively ensuring upkeep needed remains consistent together accordingly alongside cooperative engagement respectively towards City Council & Ministry overseeing related environments comprehensively confirmed Martin elaborated further via email communication reaching out specifically addressed toward CBC Niagara.

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