Austin said he wants citizens to know he's heard their complaints about the scrapyard, saying the province is working on legislation to update the Salvage Dealers Act to give the Public Safety minister more power to revoke licences without notice.

"We've got them back in line, and we're going to continue to keep an eye on all our salvage dealers."

Montreal-based AIM also owns a scrapyard on land it leases on the Saint John waterfront, where a massive fire burned for two days in September. The province revoked the licence for that site in December.

The Moncton scrapyard is owned by the same company that oversees the Port of Saint John scrapyard, where a fire burned for two days in September. (Submitted by Ed Moyer)

After a task force report on that fire, the province carried out inspections of 87 scrapyards around New Brunswick. The province says 10 were not in compliance and were issued orders to correct various issues, though it has not said what issues were found at which sites.

AIM's Moncton location, the subject of the letter, has been the subject of complaints from nearby residents over noise and smells. Throughout the year, AIM facilities in Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton have been the subject of court cases and fire code breaches.

The company's lawyer, Romain Viel, said in an email Friday that AIM has no comment on the letter.

The most recent statement from Viel to CBC last week said AIM understands residents' concerns and is working to mitigate them, such as applying to the city to construct a sound barrier.

Letter lays out issues with Moncton site

The letter lists several reasons why Austin is considering revoking the licence.

He said operations have "intensified and changed" since AIM took over from the previous licence holder at the site in 2023. AIM was also found guilty of operating without a salvage dealer's licence in November, Austin said.

The site is also too close to a river, and appliances and debris fell off a pile toward the water.

              Austin's letter included this map, showing the proximity of the Moncton AIM scrapyard to residential areas and a river. (Government of New Brunswick)

Austin said the fire marshal found eight violations of the National Fire Code on Dec. 6 and ordered compliance. 

On Jan. 3, Moncton found the site in violation of the city's Dangerous and Unsightly Premises bylaw. Austin said the city told him the site is now in compliance, but Moncton still has concerns with "the ongoing risks associated with the operations of the AIM site."

The company has not confirmed in writing that it hasn't imported metal from outside the province, as required by a court order in January, Austin said.

Austin ended the list of concerns by highlighting concerns from residents, saying the city of Moncton has received 189 complaints where citizens say they're "negatively impacted by noise, vibrations, intensified traffic, extended hours of operation, visual and aesthetic impacts of scrap piles, and environmental concerns."

Multiple complaints continue to be received each week, Austin said.

Additionally, the site is within 300 metres of two public parks, a playground, and a children's centre, all of which are against the Salvage Dealers Licensing Act and the Unsightly Premises Act. There are also 200 residential homes within 300 metres of the operation.

Austin ends the letter by saying he is giving AIM two weeks to address the concerns he laid out.