County of Brant Council rejected a zoning application that would permit a proposed hydrovac slurry processing facility on Curtis Ave North in Paris during the regular Council meeting on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
Submitted by Zelinka Priamo Ltd. on behalf of DCH Group Inc., the application was looking to rezone the 40 Curtis Ave. N. property from Heavy Industrial (M3) to special exception Heavy Industrial (M3-35) with site specific provisions.
While the subject lands are designated as General Employment within the County’s Official Plan, and the M3 zone allows a range of industrial uses including manufacturing, automotive repair, food and chemical processing, and transport truck terminals, it does not currently permit the use of a hydrovac slurry processing facility.
Staff ultimately determined that the proposed facility was compatible with the surrounding land uses, which primarily consist of an existing industrial subdivision and nearby active rail line, and was consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement and the County’s Official Plan.
Despite staff recommending approval, Council ended up denying the application after members of the public expressed their concerns about noise, truck traffic (ten to 20 a day), environmental risks, contaminated materials, dust and more.
Not only did the County receive a petition with more than 700 signatures and letters, several residents and nearby businesses spoke during the meeting.
Ted and Robin Horsfall, who own Horsfall’s Auto Service just next door to the subject lands, said they were fully opposed to the application because of noise.
“We were at a planning meeting earlier and didn’t really come out of it all that happy,” said Robin. “We were asking for some mitigation on noise on our behalf. …When I left the meeting, there was no mitigation going to be done whatsoever.”
The father and son ultimately decided to take a look into the applicant’s noise analysis and argued that the study failed to properly consider nearby noise-sensitive land uses including Jason’s Wheelhouse, the Paris Health Hub and recreational trails.
“Interestingly, the hydrovac slurry plant’s noise impact study deemed that Curtis Avenue South, which is 300 metres away from 40 Curtis Ave. N., was the most sensitive land use. That is in direct contradiction to the neighbour, Jason’s Wheelhouse, which is located within 31 metres from the proposed hydrovac slurry plant’s fence line,” explained Ted. “They have to be 70 metres from the most sensitive land use. Jason’s Wheelhouse is considered a registered institutional location, and frankly, the most vulnerable members of our community are the ones that participate there.”
Janice Knill, Founder and Executive Director of Jason’s Wheelhouse, later addressed her own concerns with the proposal.
“Jason’s Wheelhouse currently supports 89 individuals, both children and adults, and their families. 40 of the 89 individuals that we support have epilepsy or another form of seizure disorder; that’s 45 per cent of our supported clientele. 29 of our individuals have heart conditions or other heart-related disorders; that’s 33 per cent of our supported clientele,” she said. “This proposed facility is not a healthy consideration with sound, with vibration, or with smell. …This affects our business. This affects our staff. This affects our families, and specifically the children and adults that are sensitive in regards to pressure, headaches, noise, with medical issues, seizures, and heart conditions. The violations in relation to the proximity of our centre should be reason enough for this proposal to be dismissed and rejected.”
A nearby resident who lives on Walnut Street later said that the proposed facility would be more suitable for property zoned Energy and Waste (M4).
As noted in the staff report, the M4 zone permits large-scale waste management facilities. The Paris Waste Transfer Station is the only property in Paris with such designation.
The resident said that the applicants were “looking to massage the M3 zoning” to fit their needs.
“The applicant has said the amendment is needed because it does not align with current M3 zoning. It’s not an auto body shop. It’s not a dry cleaning facility. It’s not an impound yard. It’s not a food processing plant. This is waste processing,” said Christine Turple. “…We’re massaging the M3 zoning to allow for a private company to create a waste processing facility close to residents and establish businesses. Why spend all that time developing long-term strategic plans for our County and establishing clear zoning areas just to amend them as we see fit down the line?”
Following the public’s input, both Councillor John Peirce and Steve Howes commended the residents for doing their research and asking questions. The two later said that after hearing the comments, and asking their own questions about the proposed facility, they would not be supporting the application.
Councillor John Bell asked why the application wasn’t denied on the spot, and if the County’s economic development team had tried to help the applicant find another appropriate site with an M4 zoning.
Director of Planning Jeremy Vink responded, saying, “The County doesn’t zone areas M4 in advance. The only spot that has the M4 is the landfill facility. Somebody has to come in specifically and seek County approval to go to an M4 zone within an industrial area.”
Vink added that staff ultimately decided not to grant an M4 zoning because they didn’t want a future owner to try to put in a waste or recycling facility down the line.
Councillor Lukas Oakley said that while he appreciated what the residents had to say, and that he too lives nearby, he didn’t see an issue with allowing an industrial use in an industrial area.
“Everything I’ve read from the report convinces me that it’s a compatible usage in an industrial area,” said Oakley. “Yes, it’s been highlighted that Jason’s wheelhouse is in there, but similar to our conversations where we have talked about severances and building houses on farmland, and the effects of sterilizing that use for future farmland development, I think it’d be inappropriate for us to sterilize what has been an industrial area since long before I was alive.”
Mayor David Bailey later said that while Jason’s Wheelhouse and the Health Hub may be the odd ones out in the area, they’re there and need to be considered. He said he couldn’t support the application and asked that staff help the owners find a more suitable location.
In the end, the vote to approve the application failed on a vote of 8 to 2, with MacAlpine and Oakley in favour, and Councillor Robert Chambers abstaining from the vote as he wasn’t present for the conversation.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
