The Mayor of Cache Creek says there are many concerns over plans by the Bonaparte First Nation to build a new compost facility within village limits.

John Ranta says while the Bonaparte First Nation has been working on the Timicw Good Earth Recycling Waste Management Facility with the provincial government, it has not looped in the village of Cache Creek to this point.

“They’ve met twice with the TNRD, once with the solid waste management committee, and once with the full board and the village of Cache Creek has not been consulted one little bit, and yet they’re going to require the village of Cache Creek’s support in order to move the project ahead,” Ranta told Radio NL. “I would think its long overdue.”

“At the regional district meeting, I did make it very clear that we weren’t pleased with how far they’ve gone down the road without involving the village of Cache Creek.”

During the meeting on Dec. 14, representatives from the Bonaparte First Nation and GHD Consulting told the TNRD that the facility would produce organic soil for sale.

“All we want to do is bring that economy to the area, local area, so we can share that so we can build it together and work together,” Bonaparte Kukpi7 Frank Antoine said at the meeting.

The provincial government says the new facility would include a discharge rate of up to 190,000 tonnes per year for a period of at least 50 years.

“The closed Cache Creek Landfill is directly adjacent to and north of the proposed Timicw site, and the new Campbell Hill Landfill is on the far side of the closed Cache Creek Landfill, within about 500 metres north of the proposed Timicw site,” the province said, in an online project description.

Proponents of the project told the TNRD that the next steps will depend on a decision from the provincial government’s Environmental Assessment Office, as well as the outcome of an application to use Crown land for the facility.

They also told the TNRD board that planned consultations between project representatives and other stakeholders – including the Village of Cache Creek – were “stalled” as the developers reportedly were sent a letter of concern from the provincial office.

“I don’t know where the Environment Assessment Office is going to go on this,” Ranta told Radio NL. “They’ve got the Bonaparte’s application in hand, I’m sure. They’ve also got the Ashcroft Indian Band objection, and the village’s objection, and the [South Cariboo] Sportsmen’s Association’s [who operate a gun range on the property] objection.”

“There’s a ranch that has grazing rights on the same property, and they also have some concerns about the project.”

Ranta says it will be an “interesting challenge” for the provincial government to come to a solution that will keep all of the parties happy.

“I think they want to pursue reconciliation to the greatest extent possible which in the absence of any objection would have them approving the Bonaparte proposal,” Ranta said.

“I don’t think there is a solution that would satisfy everybody but you never know what can happen.”