Residents fuming over crematorium issue

While the mayor of Dorval and several residents are concerned about the installation of a crematorium in the quaint shopping village on Lakeshore Road, construction progresses steadily.

"I was not for it from the start," Mayor Edgar Rouleau told The Chronicle. However he said Lakeshore Cardinal Funeral Home, the business building the crematorium, has so far respected all relevant city bylaws in its bid and therefore cannot be stopped.

"There are really four permits that are requested (in total)," Rouleau said. Besides the construction permit, an occupancy permit from the city, which would allow it to do business, is required. Two environmental permits, one each from Montreal's agglomeration council and from the Quebec Environment Ministry, are also needed.

Jean-Charles Cardinal, who co-owns the home with his family, said he is not worried about the other permits. Cardinal has been planning the crematorium for about five years, he said, ensuring he meets all standards. "There is a lot of homework we had to do," he said.

Several Dorval residents complained about the project to city hall at the last council meeting, with the small room that holds the sessions filled to capacity.

"According to what I read in the newspaper, it's dangerous," said Gaétan Bernier, asking council to remove the construction permit from Cardinal. His sentiments were echoed by many others, including Lorraine da Costa, who runs a daycare centre with about 60 children across the funeral home. "Surely this should be considered," she said.

Concerns were also raised about the small amounts of mercury found in peoples' tooth fillings, which could be toxic once evaporated into the atmosphere.

In 2005, the United Kingdom enacted legislation forcing all crematoriums to have equipment minimizing the amount of mercury released into the air. One person who raised his voice at the meeting suggested the funeral home should install a selenium filter to help reduce emissions. This filter is coated with selenium, an amorphous material that reacts with mercury to form a type of harmless gas. "It only costs about $1 million to install," the resident said.

However, according to one scientific expert, such a solution would be a needless expense. "I don't think it's worth it," said Prof. Derek Jones, from the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Jones, who has studied the effects of biomaterials released into the atmosphere, said mercury released from crematoriums is extremely minimal, especially when compared to larger amounts from other sources.

"Forty-two per cent of the total mercury emissions worldwide are from the burning of fossil fuel," according to Jones, "and 50 per cent of the worldwide emissions are from natural sources."

Jones estimated that about 45 per cent of Canadians who pass on are cremated, and that 5,000 to 6,000 Canadians per million die annually. "Assuming the average person has two large or several smaller amalgam fillings," he added, each cremated body would release 0.65 grams of mercury vapour. In other words, around 55 kg of mercury vapour a year would be released from Canada, which "represents about 0.0002 to 0.0008 per cent of the total worldwide mercury emissions from all sources."

Efforts at fighting mercury emissions should instead be focused on large sources, such as fossil-fuel burning power companies, he said.

Some residents have suggested moving the crematorium to Dorval's industrial sector, where rising smoke would not impede on residents or shoppers. "We want it completely moved to the industrial area," said Jean Clément, who represents a group called Dorval Citizens for Democracy. He was suspicious the crematorium would be as pollutant-free as Cardinal claims it is.

However, the industrial sector was not an option for the funeral home. "It doesn't make sense to go (into an industrial park) with a cortege," Cardinal told The Chronicle, pointing out that would be disrespectful for the family of the deceased.

As for relocating at all, Cardinal said it would prove enormously expensive, with a total project budget of $1.2 million and nearly half already spent on construction. "We cannot afford it," he said.