Environmental Defence Canada has joined the fight against a landfill expansion proposed near Dresden.
The non-profit, that’s advocated for the environment since 1984, issued a statement March 7 joining the groundswell of opposition to the regenerative recycling facility/landfill proposal by York 1 at 29831 Irish School Rd.
The endangered eastern spiny softshell turtle is among the list of 33 species at risk currently found in the bio-diverse east branch of the Sydenham River.
On behalf of the environment and the Dresden community, Environmental Defence Canada is calling on the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks to reject the application by York1 Environmental Waste Solutions to install and expand a dump site north of the town due to the potential risk to the environment.
“The proposed dump site is located adjacent to Molly’s Creek, a naturally fed, spring-origin creek that flows into the nearby Sydenham River. If the dump is built, toxic substances and wastewater runoff from the dump could leach into Molly’s Creek and eventually transfer into the Sydenham. This will contaminate critical habitats and kill some of Ontario’s rarest species such as the spiny softshell turtle and salamander mussel, pushing them closer towards the brink of extinction,” the document states.
Environmental Defence Canada is also asking the government to reject the proposal on behalf of the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat.
