Massive pile of construction waste left behind by company on vacant south Vancouver site

In an industrial area of southeast Vancouver, not far from the city’s garbage transfer station and recycling depot and across from a row of railway tracks, sits a massive waste pile that stretches for more than a block and in some sections is metres higher than the surrounding concrete wall and wire fence.

On closer inspection, one can see that the layers of garbage include drywall, piping, sofas, cabinets, bathtubs, and large household appliances compressed together.

For years, the site at 8501 Ontario St. was operated by Southernstar Enterprises, which had a licence from Metro Vancouver to collect construction and demolition waste.

But Metro has cancelled the company’s operating licence, and the Port of Vancouver, which owns the site, has terminated its lease and now faces the challenge of figuring out how to remove the giant waste heap.

B.C. Supreme Court documents show that the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority filed a lawsuit against Southernstar in August, alleging the Surrey-based company failed to pay rent between April 2024 to May 2025. The port authority terminated the lease at the end of May.

The port alleged Southernstar owed more than $637,000 in rent. It also alleged that Southernstar had not paid over $1.19 million in property taxes and more than $32,800 in water bills.

The company has not filed a response and the allegations have not been proven.

The port authority told Postmedia it is completing an investigation of the materials to prepare for a cleanup of the property. It said the pile of garbage is not currently increasing in size.

“Any visible movement is associated with workers surveying and repositioning existing material for the cleanup, which is expected to begin early in 2026,” it said in a statement.

It also said that no subsequent tenant has been identified.

Metro Vancouver told Postmedia it issued Southernstar an operating licence to run a solid waste and recycling operation in February 2020 and that the licence expired in December 2024.

In response to followup questions, Metro Vancouver clarified that licences don’t typically expire and that it actually cancelled Southernstar’s permit. It said it would not comment further, citing a pending legal case in provincial court.

Provincial court filings show the company is accused of violating a number of Metro Vancouver bylaws. A permitting and enforcement officer alleges Southernstar, between May and November 2023, exceeded the limit of 6,145 cubic metres of solid waste or recyclable material allowed on the site.

The officer also said the company, between October and November 2023, exceeded the 3,450 cubic metres of ground wood allowed. It is further alleged the company, between December 2023 and June 2024, operated a material recovery facility without a valid licence.

The case is scheduled to be back in court on Thursday.

Postmedia has made several attempts to reach Southernstar president Steve Smithers through the company and lawyers who have represented the company, but has not received a reply.

A man who answered the listed phone number for Southernstar suggested the Port of Vancouver “basically” pushed Southernstar because it wants to sell the property.

“You should get the whole truth before you do anything,” said the man, declining to give his name.

In regards to Metro Vancouver’s bylaw enforcement action, the man said: “Everything was good and compliant, and then one month, it just switched … no rhyme, no reason, no nothing.”

Businesses along Kent Avenue across from the waste pile, meanwhile, say they have been dealing with blowing dust and fine pieces of debris emanating from the site for years.

“Construction garbage is what it is. It’s from teardowns and stuff like that,” said Sofija Scott, shop manager at the Spotlite Collision autobody repair shop.

“Every time we washed a car, that dust from across the street would instantly cover everything.”

For some time, she tried complaining to Southernstar and the City of Vancouver.

“I’ve got so many photos on my phone,” said Scott.

One archived image shows a large sign that used to hang on a fence by Southernstar: “We take construction, demo, and all wood waste loads, big or small.”

John Samida, whose heavy-equipment rental business has been in the area for over five decades, said he knew Southernstar was running a wood recycling operation, but earlier this year, he also noticed activity on the site had slowed and then halted.

“They were grinding up wood pieces into hog fuel, and then you have to pick out the other pieces that aren’t wood. But it wasn’t dumping the other pieces. It was charging (customers) to dump stuff, but it was piling up and nothing was being done.”

With research from Carolyn Soltau 

jlee-young@postmedia.com

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