The Mayor of Warwick Township is encouraging residents to give their feedback on the proposed expansion of the Twin Creeks Environmental Centre (TCEC) Landfill.
WM (Waste Management) Canada said there are about five years of approved landfill airspace capacity remaining at the Watford area facility and it will be full in 2031.
Expanding the site vertically would provide additional airspace of around 14.3 million cubic metres, which could extend the landfill site life by 12 years to 2043.
WM said no changes are proposed to the size of the TCEC site area, approved service area, or annual fill rate.
WM has submitted an Environmental Assessment (EA) report to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) for review.
Mayor Todd Case said many of the municipality's environmental concerns -- including truck traffic, air quality, wildlife impacts, and deficiencies in the critical loading assessment -- remain unaddressed.
The comment period on Waste Management's Final Environmental Study report ends August 14.
"We're working through that process with our Environmental Lawyer Peter Pickfield and his technical review team which will basically advise council on where we go next," said Case. "We'll be submitting the comments, with council's blessing, to the minister."
The township said it has made multiple requests to WM for expert meetings to discuss the concerns, but WM has so far refused.
“There is no precedent in Ontario for a vertical landfill expansion of this scale. Township residents should not be asked to bear the burden of risk for unexamined and unmitigated environmental impacts and operational unknowns,” said Pickfield in a statement provided by the township.
Case said the province ruled in 2022 that municipalities have the right to refuse local landfills.
"Unfortunately for us, there was already a working landfill in our community so we weren't able to take advantage of that opportunity to not be a willing host. So, we'll work our way through this EA process and we'll be making comments. We await those comments from the experts."
WM said the landfill provides safe and convenient disposal services for communities, businesses and industries serving the province of Ontario.
It said there "is a need for the continued development of the TCEC as it is a significant component of the provincial waste management network and infrastructure, which is lacking in sufficient and secure long-term disposal capacity."
Copies of the EA are available at the Township of Warwick Municipal Office, Watford Library and in the office at the WM Twin Creeks Environmental Centre site.
The document can also be viewed online.
The MECP will conduct their review of the EA and issue their formal review document in September 2026.
The Minister’s decision on the EA is anticipated in February 2027.
