Residents in a Cambridge neighbourhood impacted by environmental contamination from the former Northstar Aerospace factory could soon see compensation payments come to an end.

The company is appearing in bankruptcy court on Tuesday, and a judge will then decide if the company must continue with the clean-up and payments.

Many living in the area say Northstar has honoured its commitments, but the province wants the U.S. company to finish the clean-up.

Chris Heise and his family knew about the risks when they bought their home on Fairview Road six years ago, but they also checked with Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment before buying.

“I had a personal phone conversation to see what the risks were and what kind of risks there was going to be and they put us at ease to know that things were under control and there wasn’t any serious health risks,” he says.

Their home is one of 450 near the old factory that was contaminated by Tricholoroethylene or TCE.

A 2009 class-action lawsuit saw residents in the area awarded $4.5 million in compensation as well as requiring an environmental cleanup and monitoring.

The Heise family has been receiving cheques to help with their Hydro bills, but that could end with the judge’s decision on Northstar’s bankruptcy filing.

The company filed for bankruptcy in June, and lawyers will appear before the judge on Tuesday to decide on the company’s ongoing responsibilities.

While the company has agreed in principal to a $70-million buyout, the company’s paperwork lists $100 million in debt.

Meanwhile the Ministry of the Environment, which is overseeing the cleanup, is concerned the company will dodge its responsibilities.

A spokesperson says in a statement “The Ministry is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that Northstar continues to undertake the required remediation measures.”

Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the associate medical officer of health says Waterloo Region Public Health has similar concerns.

“The main concern with TCE is the risk of cancer, if exposure is chronic over a lifetime.”

But the Heise family says they’re not worried about seeing the cheques end, “After living here five, six years, we’re not that concerned if it has to end because of bankruptcy.”

Northstar did not return calls from CTV News.