The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor The acid-like stench in downtown Flin Flon seems to stem from HBMS property, but the precise origin has not been pinpointed, a company spokesperson said. The comments, made to The Reminder, would appear to mark the first time an HBMS official has publicly acknowledged what residents have long suspected _ that the smell arises from the company. Tom Goodman, senior vice president and chief operating officer for parent HudBay Minerals, acknowledged that the odour 'appears to emanate from our site.' Referring to the scent as 'relatively mild' _ a description with which not all residents would agree _ Goodman said the company is giving the matter its due. 'We are continuing to work on this issue and are keeping the public updated on our progress through the regular' meetings held by the Healthy Flin Flon committee, he said. Source? Neither HBMS nor the government has ever identified the source of the acidic smell, which is detectable downtown sporadically, if not regularly. It was at the Healthy Flin Flon meeting last October that Manitoba Conservation outlined efforts by itself and HBMS to determine the root of the smell, including: Having HBMS conduct 'an inventory of odour' at its metallurgical complex to determine whether there were any problems. A new Conservation program to monitor sulphates _ a surrogate of acid _ in Flin Flon air. An inspection of the HBMS cellhouse by provincial environmental engineering staff. Dave Bezak, air quality manager for Conservation, said they found the facility to be 'operating appropriately' and 'not causing unacceptable odours in the community.' A new HBMS program that monitors metal corrosion within the community, as sulphuric acid is highly corrosive. See 'Engine...' on pg. 6 Continued from pg. 1 A new HBMS outreach program where citizens are urged to contact the company if they detect a foul odour they believe originates with the industrial operations. Bezak said the engineers who inspected the cellhouse 'did note some irregular odours in the community but (they were) not, in their view, associated with or similar to what would be coming out of the cellhouse.' But Skip Martin, who said the smell makes his throat sore, told the forum he still believes the cellhouse is the problem. 'I don't have facts in front of me, but my recollection (is that) we didn't really notice the corrosion until the cellhouse was built,' Martin, speaking as a private citizen and not as a city councillor, said. 'You could (then) see rust running down the side of the Community Hall or running down Flin Flon Hotel. You could see galvanized steel corroding in the same area, like posts and stuff. So I think it does have something to do with the cellhouse.' Through all the work that was done, Bezak said there was no evidence to support that contention that HBMS is responsible for the aroma.
