Hazardous waste management and community involvement in Canada: the case of Montreal's rural-urban fringe

The urban fringe is recognized as the arena of many conflicts involving land uses and values. The development and operation of hazardous waste facilities give rise to numerous conflicts and confrontations. An analysis of three cases in Montreal's rural-urban fringe based on a review of articles in the regional press demonstrates the utility of a common conceptual framework based on the awareness cycle which is represented in five phases. The application of the sustainable development concept to the hazardous wastes issue requires adopting approaches emphasizing participation of all the actors and interests involved, right from project design to the closure and dismantling of the facility. The fundamental challenge is that of promoting the excellence of the various stakeholders in terms of the quality of their participation in order to achieve sustainable acceptability of the project, often in a modified form compared to its initial conception.Dr Pierre André is Assistant Professor and Dr Christopher R. Bryant is Full Professor in the Département de Géographie, Université de Montreal. Romain Coté has completed an MSc degree in the Hygiène du milieu et de l'environnement programme at the Université de Montreal.