Fertilizer plant may be coming to Chatham-Kent

Hundreds of jobs may be on the way for Chatham-Kent as talks are ongoing to bring a fertilizer company to the area.

According to Chatham’s director of economic development, the jobs will require highly skilled technicians and control operators.

Michael Burton says the Chatham facility will produce granulated urea, one of the most used nitrogen fertilizer products.

“So it’s not like the kind of chemical plants people may instantly think about. It will be state of art technology. I think people would welcome development,” he says.

Chatham's unemployment rate is among the highest in the country, so it’s a potentially a big win for the community that has been hit hard by plant closures in recent years.

But even those who support the idea still have environmental concerns and want assurance their questions will get answers.

“What will be happening to the runoff?” asked one person.

Burton says conversations with residents are important.

He says chemical production is not a permitted use under the city's current official plan. That needs to change before the city can move forward.

“So it's kind of a new sector for us,” he says. “It’s a growth sector globally. We feel we have an excellent business case and the assets required to make this happen.”

But it could be another two to three years before a shovel is in the ground as there are a lot of regulatory hurdles to get over.