The City of Hamilton is looking to move the Kenora Waste Transfer Station away from Confederation GO to industrial lands at 1579 Burlington Street East near Kenilworth Avenue North.
The Kenora Transfer Station accepts curbside-collected garbage and yard waste from Hamilton residents, as well as commercial garbage generated in the City of Hamilton.
Municipal waste is consolidated into transfer trailers and transported to the Glanbrook Landfill for final disposal, while leaf and yard waste is composted at the landfill’s yard waste composting facility.
In December 2024, staff were directed to examine the feasibility of relocating the Kenora Waste Transfer Station operations.
The accompanying Community Recycling Centre would remain as-is.
Progress on the relocation of the waste transfer station comes as the new Confederation GO Station on Centennial Parkway is set to welcome train service for the first time on Oct. 27.
The Kenora Transfer Station is also projected to exceed its monthly maximum capacity in either 2037 or 2038.
Additionally, since the GO station is now open, there is a heightened potential for residential development in the area.
The city’s Centennial Neighbourhoods Secondary Plan previously identified “concerns related to the proximity of potential odours and environmental impacts from the Kenora Transfer Station that could be detrimental to economic development and growth,” reads a city staff report.
Dillon Consulting Limited conducted a feasibility study to evaluate the requirements of a new facility, which would serve the city over the next 25 years.
The final report narrowed down the options to two properties, one of which is already owned by the city and has an active Environmental Compliance Approval for waste-related operations (1579 Burlington Street East near Kenilworth Avenue North) and one not owned by the city (957 Burlington Street East near Gage Avenue North).
From there, it was determined that the location already owned by the city is preferred due to reduced timelines and costs associated with the relocation.
The site already owned by the city is expected to cost between $27.64 million and $49.26 million, while the other site would cost between $46.30 million and $79.98 million, including the property purchase and site preparation.
Additionally, the site already owned by the city is estimated to take 3.5 to 7.5 years before it is operational, while the other location is estimated to take 7.5 to 10 years.
The evaluation also considered other factors, including site size, existing infrastructure, accessibility, zoning, and environmental considerations in addition to costs and timelines.
In a 13-0 vote, Council authorized that city staff proceed with the next steps required to “confirm timelines, more closely estimate costs and perform the environmental site assessment required” to relocate the transfer station to 1579 Burlington Street East.
Following the Environmental Site Assessment and pre-consultation with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks, staff will report back to the Public Works Committee with an update, seeking approval on a final path forward.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
