For most city dwellers, summer means a time for sun-drenched strolls and cold beverages imbibed on warm patios. Unfortunately, for a number of Junction Triangle residents, open window weather also marks a season of stink, when burning rubber odours from the National Rubber Technologies rubber repurposing factory on Cawthra Avenue waft into local homes.

Vic Gedris, an area resident and Junction Triangle documentarian, has lived north of Bloor Street on Symington Avenue for over four years. The distance between Gedris' home and the rubber plant is far enough that the smell is only an intermittent nuisance, but Gedris has noticed its stubborn presence even south of Bloor along the West Toronto Railpath. “The fact that the stench can travel so far is pretty worrying. Apart from people calling the Ministry of the Environment, I'm not sure what other efforts are being made by the community.”

A May 30 post on the Mulock Avenue Residents' Association blog encourages residents to act as olfactory informants for the Ministry of the Environment, requesting individuals to keep a log of foul-smelling times, dates, and the strength of the odour in order to track the effects of the factory's emissions. One concerned commenter mused, “I'm not a scientist but I can't imagine that it's healthy for us or our families.”

According to National Rubber Technologies Director of Engineering, Manuel Estradadinho, "National Rubber Technologies is operating under a permit from the Ministry of the Environment and all of our emissions meet all regulations." While Estragadinho does acknowledge that, under certain weather conditions, "slight rubber-like odours can be detected," he is emphatic that even these "rare odour conditions" are well below the Ministry's allowable limits. While facility changes are being discussed, action cannot be taken without the Ministry's approval.

He adds that, “NRT is an environmental company with green technology that recycles millions of tires and diverts tens of millions of pounds of rubber from landfills.”

Kate Jordan, a spokesperson with the Ministry of the Environment, confirms that the Ministry has been working with the community and the company to address the facility's odour concerns. “Through discussions we've had with the company and the reviews that we've done of their reports, we don't have concerns from a health perspective or with the company's impact on the environment. They're meeting our standards,” says Jordan.

Jordan says that National Rubber Technologies has put forth a proposal that includes a detailed sampling study and facility improvements, the most prominent being a raising of the roof's stacks. While the Ministry believes this plan will help to effectively control and reduce odour, a technical review process is under way to ensure results.

In the meantime, community members should consider breathing through their mouths.