A group of residents who live near a potato chip factory in a New Brunswick town are moving forward with their case against the company.
The 17 residents say the Covered Bridge Potato Chips Ltd. plant brings overwhelming smells, constant noise and more traffic to their once-quiet neighbourhood.
Each resident filed a claim with provincial farming regulator alleging the plant was causing significant and ongoing disruption to their lives.
The company’s lawyer, Sheila Mecking, has asked the province’s Farm Practices Review Board to settle the case, arguing that the company is an agricultural operator under provincial legislation.
The New Brunswick Farm Practices Review Board says it will consider whether it has jurisdiction to settle the complaints against the popular chip-making company.
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The residents’ lawyer Basile Chiasson wants to pursue the case in court and argues the board doesn’t have jurisdiction.
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The regulator’s chair Maurice Maillet said on Friday that the board, made up of five people who work in agriculture, will consider the arguments and come to a decision in the near future.
Chiasson said he expects the board to pave the way for the residents to take legal action at the Court of King’s Bench.
Last year, Covered Bridge converted its storage warehouse in Woodstock into a chip-processing factory, after its previous facility in another town burned down.
Some residents have said they hope Covered Bridge, which sells its chips across North America, leaves Woodstock entirely.
I went to the original location in Hartland countless times and it smelled no worse than a typical McD’s or A&W. Surprising the new facility smells so bad but I’d argue that Woodstock stinks anyway because of the massive Irving pulp and paper mill that’s been there for years. Depending on the wind direction, the whole town can smell like sulphur, some days.
Factories never smell like the end product, they smell like the chemicals used in processing the materials. I worked in a bread factory about 19 years ago and it was awful. Whether the minimum wage jobs are “there” or elsewhere is largely immaterial as none of the locals work there.
One would think it would smell of potatoes or chips. I guess the plant should pack up and take the jobs to a new town, they clearly don’t need them.