INNISFAIL - For the first time in recent memory Innisfail town council was forced to suspend a regular meeting Monday due to an “out-of-control” crowd in opposition to a carbon capture company setting up shop in Innisfail.
It was midway in the Monday, Aug. 12 council meeting when mayor Jean Barclay opened the floor to a packed council chamber of mostly people opposed to the plan by Quebec-based Deep Sky Labs to build what’s being billed as the world’s first` carbon removal innovation and commercialization centre in Innisfail’s Southwest Industrial Park.
Residents and others came to the town council meeting wanting more information about Deep Sky Labs' plan, which it announced last week.
The company says the facility will be operational this winter and will have the capacity to capture 3,000 tons of CO2 per year or 30,000 tons over a 10-year period, via up to 10 different direct air captured technologies. It will also include room for future expansion.
The CO2 collected at the site will be trucked to an existing well at the Meadowbrook Carbon Storage Hub facility operated by Deep Sky's storage partner Bison Low Carbon Ventures, north of Edmonton in Sturgeon County.
Several people spoke passionately against the proposal saying they were not consulted before town council made approvals allowing the Canadian carbon removal project developer to lease-to-own five acres of municipality’s land for the project.
Some audience members were shouting slogans such as “just like Chernobyl” and that the project would put the town and the planet at risk.
Some of the presenters wanted to know who was responsible for approving a carbon project that is still in its infancy.
Council members did their best to answer the questions from the presenters but emphasized their jurisdiction only deals with land use under the Municipal Government Act.
The crowd was told that environmental guidelines are the responsibility of the provincial and federal government.
During about half a dozen presentations, the packed audience often cheered and interrupted proceedings leading to the determination the crowd was "out of control."
At one point it was suggested that a recess be taken however, it was ultimately decided by council motion to suspend the rest of the council meeting.
Coincidentally, Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Ian Ihme was at the meeting on an unrelated matter. Ihme made his presentation dealing with RCMP matters and stayed for the rest of the meeting.
Later in the meeting, several Innisfail peace officers attended. When the meeting was suspended there was loud disapproval from several of the anti-carbon capture members in the audience that included booing and insults.
Some members of the crowd were wondering why the council meeting started earlier than the usual 3 p.m as some protesters had to take time off work.
Barclay responded that the council meeting started at 1 p.m. instead of 3 p.m. Monday because council members were committed later in the day to attend a function at the Innisfail Golf Club to mark the beginning of the 2024 Canadian Junior Boys Championship.
