Tache council allows residential septic business despite neighbours’ objections

The RM of Tache council has approved a conditional use for a septic service business in a residential area despite objections from neighbours.

On June 16, council voted to approve Stephane Massicotte’s request for a conditional use to continue to operate his business, Rolly’s Septic Service, in the residential neighbourhood on Old Bog Road located southeast of Lorette.

In a vote of five to three, council approved the use with Couns. Dawn Braden and Colleen Jolicoeur and Mayor Armand Poirier voting against the motion.

“This is not just a commercial venture, someone selling Avon. It’s a quasi-industrial business,” said Poirier, who asked that the vote be recorded.

The mayor had three reasons for voting against the conditional use: Rolly’s had outgrown being a home-based business, safety concerns regarding truck traffic and children at play, and having a septic service in a residential neighbourhood.

“From my standpoint, who wants to live next to a septic hauler?…I have difficulty understanding why we would impose that on our citizens.”

Massicotte applied for a conditional use to continue operating his septic business on April 20 after the RM informed him he was in violation of the municipality’s zoning bylaw by not having approval for a home business in a rural residential area. The business had been in operation for 12 years and had grown substantially.

The matter was brought to the RM’s attention by neighbour Keith Scott who had safety concerns for the neighbourhood’s children.

“This council should not reward a decade-long violation of zoning laws,” wrote Scott in his letter of objection to council.

According to Tache’s zoning bylaw, a home business can operate if it has no more than four employees; must not have more than 10 percent of the total site being used for the business; the business must not generate unacceptable amounts of noise, traffic, or be unsightly; the business will not create conflict with activities that would normally occur in the neighbourhood; and that all exterior storage of materials must be situated in the backyard out of sight by a structure of at least six feet in height.

If the business breaks any of these guidelines, has materials delivered to the business in bulk frequently by a commercial vehicle, or customers’ cars are parked frequently in the neighbourhood or in such a way as to be incompatible with a residential zone then it is considered a home-based business.

Massicotte did not respond to requests for an interview, but in his conditional use application to the municipality he wrote that customers come to his home once or twice a week. The RM reported that Rolly’s has six drivers and one receptionist as employees. Massicotte’s truck drivers park outside of his 2,400 sq.ft. shop located behind his home.

He wrote that the drivers arrive at 7 a.m. and leave between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. to make their runs; the drivers return between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Massicotte stated service fluctuates during the year with June to October being busy and November through May being slow. His website states he operates in seven RMs and is available 24/7 for emergencies.

Along with the shop, Massicotte has also built a 4,000 sq.ft. driveway and 5,000 sq.ft. parking pad. He said 920 sq.ft is used for parking his seven septic trucks.

He has also installed an above ground 4,500 litre fuel tank on his property to fuel his trucks. The fuel tank is filled about once or twice a week by a tanker truck, according to Scott.

Massicotte also stores more than a dozen portable toilets on his property, which Scott referred to as “visually offensive” in his letter.

Scott, who lives at 8 Old Bog Road, is one of three neighbours who spoke out in person against the business during a May 19 public hearing, where council received two letters of support from residents on the cul-de-sac, four letters of objection, and one letter of concern. The cul-de-sac has seven homes on a 10-lot parcel of land, according to Google maps.

In his 2026 conditional use application, Massicotte stated he has been running his business at 12 Old Bog Road since 2014 and in 2017 he got a building permit for his shop after receiving approval for a variance from council. No neighbours were at the public hearing at that time.

In the years since he opened his business, Massicotte claimed he has had “zero concerns or complaints” from his neighbours.

“I truly believe our business is not a threat or a danger to our neighborhood,” he wrote in his application.

Scott, who lives at 8 Old Bog Road, wrote in his objection that the cul-de-sac is home to 14 children ranging in age from toddler to school age. He stated a septic truck almost hit him and his two-year-old son while they were watching his eight-year-old daughter ride her bike. Scott claims the truck only stopped because he was in front of the driver waving him to stop.

“Had it been a kid on the road alone there was no way the driver would have been able to see the child past the hood (blind spot) of the truck and it would have been a tragic outcome,” he wrote in his letter to council.

According to Scott, he notified Massicotte of the incident, with Massicotte replying he will speak to the driver. Another incident with Scott’s daughter and another Rolly’s driver ended up with Scott filing a RCMP report.

“No amount of conditions in place can make a septic truck business safe around children, or compatible with residential living,” wrote Scott in his letter.

Marc Gatien, who has lived at 3 Old Bog Road for nine years, stated in his objection letter, “I can’t think of another neighbourhood in Tache which is zoned as residential, especially a cul-de-sac, and has a medium-sized commercial operation running trucks down the street on a daily basis.”

Shayda Heinbigner, who lives at 19 Old Bog Road, stated having “an expanding septic and portable toilet operation” was inconsistent with residential country living and was concerned the impact the business may have on “the future use, desirability, and marketability of my property.”

Aaron and Melissa Hemminger stated in their petition to council that “the loud diesel engines will occasionally drive down the road as late as 11 p.m.” as noise was one of their main concerns.

Massicotte stated in his application that he realizes his business had expanded and that last November he bought a commercial lot in the RM of Springfield, but has no money to relocate. He asked the RM to grant him a five-year conditional use to run his business out of his home until he can move to the Springfield location.

Council decided to give Massicotte three years to move his business and he must comply with the following requirements: all outdoor storage associated with the business, including portable units, materials, and equipment, be located at the rear of his garage/shop and be screened from public view by a six-foot solid fence or screen; the number of employees, excluding himself, shall not be more than four; third party service providers, such as fuel trucks, are restricted to the operational hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

The conditional use is valid until June 16, 2029.

Should Massicotte violate any of the terms of the conditional use order, he will be forced to shut down his business.