LAURIE WEIR
Rideau Lakes Township is set to demolish a home it purchased for nearly $1 million last year after discovering contamination linked to the nearby Portland Landfill Site on Old Kingston Road. The demolition marks the latest step in addressing long-standing environmental concerns affecting neighbouring properties.
Fast Eddie’s Auto Recycling submitted the winning bid for the teardown, at $30,000 plus the township’s portion of HST.
The property, a log home built by Gerald and Brenda Haughian in 1980, sits on a four-acre waterfront lot downhill from the now-closed landfill. Water testing in 2012 revealed elevated levels of alkalinity, boron, hardness, nitrate, manganese and total dissolved solids, exceeding provincial regulations. By 2018, the Ministry of the Environment and Parks informed the Haughians that their well water contained high levels of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of persistent and potentially harmful chemicals.
In response, the township installed a water treatment system, and the Haughians relied on bottled water for years. However, with continued pressure from the ministry, the township and the homeowners reached a purchase agreement last year for nearly $1 million. The couple has since relocated near Lanark.
At the March 23 municipal services committee meeting, Coun. Sue Dunfield raised concerns about the removal of contamination and oversight during the demolition.
Steve Holmes, the township’s manager of parks and facilities, clarified that contamination on-site is limited to asbestos in sink glazing and silica-containing materials in plaster, cement and masonry. “They will just put the sink in a bag and take it off-site,” he explained, adding that Fast Eddie’s has the necessary equipment to process and transport silica materials safely.
Holmes also confirmed that he intends to be on-site during the demolition.
The $30,000 cost will be pre-approved in the township’s 2025 budget, with final approval pending at an upcoming council meeting.An environmental report on the property by Skootamatta Environmental Consulting Inc. is available for public review.
