When a new tire remanufacturing plant was announced for the Town of St. Marys in November 2013, its owners said they hoped to be up and running within three months.
More than a year has passed since that announcement, and the former Dana Canada facility remains empty.
A spokesperson for Green Arc Tire Manufacturing has blamed the delays on a lengthier regulatory process than expected, while a spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment said it was because Green Arc’s owner never paid a $25,000 fine for ignoring cleanup orders related to a previous tire company.
Company officials said at the time that arrangements were being made to pay the fine.
Friday, Green Arc spokesperson Danna O’Brien told CTV News he had “good news” regarding the plant.
In an email, he said the company is about to run a public notice in a local newspaper.
“With this notice, Green Arc has met all requirements as set out by the Ministry of Environment,” he wrote.
“Once the notice is published, Green Arc is confident that its permit to operate will be issued in the early new year.”
A spokesperson for the ministry said it was difficult to speculate on a timeline for the project.
When the plant was first announced, Green Arc said it would remould as many as three million radial tires each year – but according to O’Briens email, the public notice lowers that maximum to 250,000.
Previously, the company has said that the new plant would bring 340 jobs to St. Marys.
