The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is getting some backup from its political colleagues in the fight to try and stop a former landfill from restarting in Dresden.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) recently sent a letter to the province supporting CK's strong opposition to the negative implications Bill 5 will have on community well-being by reducing environmental approvals at the proposed dump expansion on Irish School Road.
AMO is urging a more balanced and responsible approach to environmental approvals.
The municipality said AMO’s letter raises significant concerns about the precedent set by Bill 5, which removes the requirement for a comprehensive environmental assessment (EA) for the Dresden landfill, despite the site’s proximity to residential areas, agricultural land, and sensitive natural habitats.
The issue was brought forward at AMO after Councillor Jamie McGrail raised it at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA), where she sits on the board.
“I sincerely appreciate AMO for standing with Dresden and, more broadly, with rural Ontario on this important issue,” said McGrail. “With AMO’s support, I strongly believe it is time for the provincial government to take a step back and re-evaluate its position -- considering the real and lasting impacts this decision could have on small-town and rural communities across the province. There is a better solution out there, and together, we can find it.”
The municipality admitted it recognizes the need to increase Ontario’s landfill capacity to support growth, but added the municipality, AMO, and many other concerned organizations stress the importance of proper environmental and community review processes to prevent long-term negative impacts.
“There continues to be many organizations and citizens throughout Ontario who are against Bill 5, and specifically, bringing a landfill to Dresden without a comprehensive environmental assessment completed,” said Councillor Rhonda Jubenville. “I, along with all of Chatham-Kent Council continue to advocate for Dresden and surrounding areas to oppose Bill 5. Our Municipality will continue to work on this issue in order to hopefully arrive at a positive outcome. I continue to respectfully offer an invitation to Premier Doug Ford to visit Dresden and the potential landfill site.”
AMO’s position echoes the municipality’s concerns that relying on outdated Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECAs) fails to account for the scale and complexity of today’s proposed projects, noted the municipality.
The municipality supports AMO’s call for a modernized, risk-based landfill approval process that maintains strong environmental protections while facilitating responsible growth, said officials.
“This project would dramatically increase the landfill’s capacity and introduce new industrial activities less than a kilometre from homes, farms, and water systems, all without the full environmental review that such a proposal would normally require,” said CK Mayor Darrin Canniff.
A spokesperson for York1 Waste Solutions in Toronto, the company that wants to restart the old landfill, said that it had fallen into a "bad state" and the proposed changes to the site will actually help improve the environmental footprint of the site and bring it up to current standards, while creating many good local jobs and spin off economic activity.