It’s been five months since Green Arc Tire Manufacturing’s new plant in St. Marys was supposed to open its doors.
That hasn’t happened.
The former Dana Canada factory continues to sit empty, and the 340 jobs promised for the town have yet to materialize.
According to Green Arc, that’s because its environmental application has yet to be approved.
“Green Arc is arranging to meet with the Ministry of Environment to discuss the status of its application,” company spokesperson Danna O’Brien tells CTV News.
“Once that meeting takes place, the company will be in a far better position to provide you with an update.”
But a ministry spokesperson says there are other issues at play.
Ten years ago, Kate Jordan says, Green Arc’s owner was fined $25,000 for ignoring cleanup orders issued to a tire company he operated in Brampton – and never paid it.
The company disputes that.
“Green Arc has been in touch with the MOE weekly, and not once has an issue ever been raised about its application,” says O’Brien.
St. Marys CAO Kevin McLlwain says the town understands the ministry’s concerns, but hopes a solution can be found.
“We’re optimistically excited about them still being able to get here in the near future,” he says.
In March, Kitchener-based AirBoss Rubber Compounding announced that it would produce rubber for Green Arc’s tires once the plant was up and running, creating 20 jobs at their Glasgow Street facility.
Once open, the St. Marys factory is expected to remould as many as three million radial tires each year.
