Blast to demolish Stelco furnace catches some Hamiltonians by surprise – Hamilton | Canadian

A controlled explosion to remove a blast furnace at a former Stelco property took some Hamiltonians by surprise on Wednesday.

The current Ward 3 councillor, environment advocates and nearby residents had a few things to say about an apparent “lack of advance notice” to the destruction of an E-furnace that came down just after 9 a.m.

Hamiltonians were informed of the “very big and very loud” planned detonation by a police social media post around 8 a.m. on Aug. 17, just 45 minutes before the first blast.

The controlled explosion knocked down a roughly 54-year-old 200-foot high furnace on Pier 16.

A spokesperson from Priestly Demolition, who were contracted for the job, said the demolition went into planning stages 12 months ago and included consultations with a blasting crew, Stelco’s security and environmental staff, the land owners and specialized demolition crews.

“The explosion was meant to cut through the thick steel and was chosen because the structure was too tall and too heavy for any other method to be used without putting lives of the workers at risk,” said Connie Clearwater, director of marketing & communications for Priestly.

Clearwater said explosives were placed to “cut and displace” columns in the structure resulting in a toppling from the tower’s own weight.

The blast was chosen for the safety of ground crews who will now be tasked with removing debris using heavy equipment.

The company insists there was no danger to residents near the plant since the operation remained in the “footprint of the property.”

Removal of the blast furnace is in support of a redevelopment that intends to bring a world-class industrial park to the now vacant industrial lands.

Slate Asset Management is taking on some 800 acres of the Stelco land, deemed as surplus, to execute a plan they say will create up to 23,000 new jobs across the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area (GTHA) and inject up to $3.8 billion into Ontario’s economy.

In statement to Global News, Coun. Nann said her office had reached out “many times” to Stelco prior to the planned demolition on details of the permit applications.

After the blast, she learned a community liaison committee did send out notices 10 hours before the waterfront excursion.

“That committee only has one resident participant and my office is only considered an observer and did not receive the notice — that doesn’t cut it,” Nann said.

“I have received concerns from residents who were shocked and scared by the demolition with no advance warning it was going to occur.”

Environment Hamilton spokesperson Ian Borsuk called the matter an “unfortunate reality” with residents not given more time to prepare for potential repercussions from the blast.

“You know, it shouldn’t be the responsibility of community members or on a group like us, Environment Hamilton to warn people to close their windows for the few hours that remained afterwards,” Borsuk told Global News.

“If they’re concerned about their health, that should have been communicated by the by the company that was doing this demolition.”

Comments on social media from Hamiltonians after the blast included, “I don’t know anyone that knew this was happening,” and, “Oh good, here comes spending more money on asthma meds.”

Ward 2 councillor candidate and the city’s LGBTQ2 committee chair Cameron Kroetsch characterized the event as “a surprise to far too many Hamiltonians” in a social media post.

Ward 5 candidate and Environment Hamilton director :ynda Lukasik called the situation “not ideal” with concerns over how the demolition might have affected air quality since the land hosted a former coke oven.

“The blast furnace is kind of positioned right in the middle of all of that,” said Lukasik

“So when the blast furnace came down and I saw all that black particulate documented in photos and video, it made me concerned because I know for sure any particulate pollution is not a good thing.”

Hamilton Police say the event was overseen without incident by both Hamilton and Halton marine units.

In a statement, Priestly characterized the demolition as a “huge success from both a structural and environmental perspective.”

Clearwater said a “designated substance survey” was done on the structure prior to the demolition identifying hazardous materials on the property and removing them in accordance with the examination.

“In addition to that, the dust was successfully contained within the Stelco property boundary,” Clearwater said.