An economic blessing and a water curse
by Brandon Mayer
Winchester’s Lactalis factory is regarded by most as a blessing to the North Dundas community. The factory holds the distinction of being the largest cheese factory in Canada. Not the largest in the area or the largest in Ontario, but the largest in all of Canada. It is a significant employer in the area, and also pays taxes locally and donates money to worthy causes. The factory purchases significant amounts of local farmers’ milk. Lactalis has also gone to great lengths financially to put an end to unpleasant odours produced at the factory. There is no debate – North Dundas needs Lactalis, and any suggestion to the contrary would be akin to biting a hand that feeds us.
Despite the enormous economic benefits of having the Lactalis factory in Winchester, there is a little known fact about the plant that may come as a shock to some residents. The factory uses approximately enough water to supply 3,500 homes. With about 1,863 homes currently connected to municipal water in North Dundas, this means that Lactalis uses significantly more water – almost double – than all water-connected homes combined in both villages.
The implications of this are significant. One Township official who wished to remain anonymous told the Times that the reason property taxes in North Dundas keep going up is because growth has been stifled by a lack of water connections available. When new homes cannot be built within the town limits of Winchester and Chesterville, the costs of high inflation and other rising costs must be absorbed by existing residents in the form of tax increases. This same individual also pointed out that the amount Lactalis pays for its water is perhaps not as high as it should be for the volume of water consumed.
No one wants to appear ungrateful to Lactalis for all the benefit it provides for North Dundas, and asking the factory to use less water is not, and will never be, an option. However, the continued availability of water, and the quality of that water, is just as important to Lactalis as it is to the residents and other businesses in Winchester and Chesterville. Lactalis has already demonstrated a willingness to help when it comes to using its resources and influence to help secure the funding needed to draw water from a more sustainable source, rather than relying solely on the existing system of wells. For that, Lactalis deserves recognition. Will the Township’s water crisis soon be resolved, and steady growth once again an option? Many local taxpayers surely hope so.