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Former Collingwood ethanol plant demolished

Demolition on the MacDonald Road property began a couple of weeks ago.

The former Collingwood ethanol plant is in pieces on the ground.

Demolition has been underway for a couple of weeks at the property, which most recently produced fertilizer products for AG Global.

Collingwood’s chief building official, Greg Miller, said the town issued a demolition permit to AG Global on Nov. 19 for the main building and various buildings on the MacDonald Road site.

The town’s director of planning, Nancy Farrer, said there was no planning application submitted.

AG Global couldn’t be reached for comment, and the future plans for the site remain unclear.

The property was formerly home to a corn starch plant (Nacan starch), which closed in December 2004, according to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency website. Later, Collingwood Ethanol GP Ltd transformed 201 MacDonald Road into an ethanol fuel plant in 2006.

Collingwood Ethanol changed its name to Amaizeingly Green in 2009, and started producing pet food and lawn fertilizer products in addition to ethanol.

Amaizeingly Green was fined $340,000 under the Environmental Protection Act and Collingwood’s sewage use bylaw in 2009. Other issues such as odour, noise, and vibration also put the plant at odds with some of its neighbours.

The company planned to shut down the facility in the summer of 2009 to work on odour abatement measures.

By 2012, Amaizeingly Green filed for receivership. Ethanol production ceased that July, according to the receiver.

In 2013, AG Global, a new start-up, purchased the assets of Amaizeingly Green, and continued to produce fertilizer.


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Erika Engel

About the Author: Erika Engel

Erika regularly covers all things news in Collingwood as a reporter and editor. She has 15 years of experience as a local journalist
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