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by Sydney Sharpe, The Calgary Sun

Calgary-based Bovar Inc. hopes to increase the hazardous waste heading into its Swan Hills waste treatment plant.

That translates into more toxic material travelling through Calgary.

"Our volumes are dropping off and we need to find new markets for Swan Hills," says Bovar president John Kuziak.

"We take extraordinary caution," he adds, and describes how Bovar drivers are trained to stop and inspect their load every two hours or 200 km.

"Compare that with being behind a butane or gasoline truck, or one with pipes bouncing around."

When you're on the Deerfoot, you take your chances. The Deerfoot is an official dangerous goods route, and all kinds of hazardous wastes wind their way through the wild speedway every day.

Bovar's waste will be "less than one percent of the hazards on the Deerfoot," insists Kuziak.

He is well aware of his company's heated history.

"When I look at this so-called boondoggle, I think it was a good investment," he says. "I don't understand why Albertans don't like Swan Hills."

It might have to do with taxpayers being on the hook for the nearly $500 million the plant lost before the Alberta government turned it over to Bovar-owned Chem Security in 1996.

Or it could be those PCBs and dioxins released in the air that resulted in three provincial charges and a $625,000 fine.

The mechanical breakdown that caused the problem wasn't announced for a full three weeks.

Or some may remember the plant explosion on July 21, 1997.

How about scientist David Schindler stating that a Bovar report showed that Swan Hills had contaminated the environment for years?

When we talk about Swan Hills' history, Kuziak is testy, and reminds me the Sun (like other newspapers) produces wastes, which make their way to Swan Hills.

"Did you know that? What do you think about that?" he asks.

Kuziak says he's not troubled by the history, and believes it has been blown out of proportion.

"We're in a fishbowl. Everyone likes to point a stick at us," he says. "What about the Hub explosion?"

Koziak reminds me that there are 114 hazardous sites in the province that need attention, and should be contacting Bovar.

"Swan Hills was designed to dispose hazardous wastes and was never meant to make money," he says of the only company of its kind in Canada.

"We're confident we can break even, if we get material from the international market."

And that means more hazardous waste on the Deerfoot. Ald. Dale Hodges just wants to guarantee our city is safe. He reminds me of the truck check police conducted a few years ago.

An astounding one-third didn't meet the safety requirements on brakes alone.

"All we can make sure of is that the dangerous goods route doesn't become more dangerous," Hodges adds.

Koziak emphasizes that hazardous wastes are a global issue. "If those trucks weren't moving, the waste would be stored somewhere," he advises.

I just want to make sure they're never concentrated in a cloud over Calgary.