Conservation Minister Stan Struthers said Tuesday that OlyWest's hog plant application is in the hands of the Clean Environment Commission, which he instructed to organize public hearings so all sides can speak.

OlyWest's proposed plant in Winnipeg's St. Boniface Industrial Park has been a lightning rod for controversy. Some nearby residents are worried about odour and heavy truck traffic. Businesses fearing the plant will drive customers away.

Plant proponents say the facility would employ 1,100 people and boost Manitoba's economy.

Struthers said he has set the terms of reference from which the commission will be judging OlyWest's proposal, giving it the power to demand a lot of answers when it conducts its public hearings.

Source: cbc