Dresden Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal (C.A.R.E.D.) volunteer Wanda Winfield helps Dresden resident Kevin Kurtz submit a comment electronically regarding the potential landfill expansion by York1 Environmental Waste Solutions on Irish School Road. The grassroots community group, which hosted a public meeting April 4, is leading the charge against the plan. A second public meeting is planned on April 11 at the Ken Houston Memorial Agriculture Centre.By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Dresden’s David and Goliath fight against the proposed York1 landfill project continues to gather steam.
In a strong show of support, some 278 people turned up at the first Dresden Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal (CARED) public meeting held at the Old Czech Hall April 4.
A Power Point summary by Dresden CARED executive members Wendy Vercauteren and Martha Fehr outlined the process to date. Both emphasized that the legal battle against York1 will be complicated and expensive.
The public meeting is the latest development in the backlash against York1 Waste Management Solutions’ proposed development on Irish School Road, which came to light at the end of January. The GTA-based company is looking to resurrect a dormant landfill to receive and repurpose demolition waste with plans to build a new regenerative recycling facility on the site.
“We’re giving you all the info we have so you can make your own decisions,” Fehr told the crowd April 4.
The meeting also saw residents ask questions and suggest ways Dresden CARED can best move forward.
Volunteers were also on hand to help people submit comments to the Environmental Registry of Ontario letting the Ford government know they oppose the project.
Pins and signs reading “Our History, Our Home, Not a Dumping Zone” were on sale as well. Donations were also being accepted.
Rashin Alizadeh-Dimeski was among those who showed up to offer support. The Chatham resident stressed that other communities, such as Kingston, have successfully stopped landfill projects through a concerted group effort.
“We’re going up against a big corporation but there’s strength in numbers,” Alizadeh-Dimeski said to applause.
North Kent municipal councillors Jamie McGrail and Rhonda Jubenville were both in attendance, as were three of the candidates vying to represent Lambton-Kent Middlesex at Queen’s Park in the coming by-election.
McGrail, a representative of Rural Ontario Municipal Association Zone 1, said the Dresden landfill is on the organization’s radar.
“Everybody is watching, especially in northern Ontario,” McGrail said.
Located just a kilometre north of town, the York1 project would run 24/7 with as many as 700 trucks coming to the site daily. The company has three applications before the province, which if approved, would allow the input of 6,000 tonnes of waste every day. A wastewater system would also be constructed, potentially threatening the sensitive Sydenham River watershed.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent, the Township of Dawn-Euphemia and Lambton County are all strongly opposed, as are Environmental Defence Canada and the Sydenham Field Naturalists.
As a result of public pressure, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks Andrea Khanjin has stated that an environmental assessment will be conducted on the York1 proposal.
The MECP is currently accepting public comment on the proposed assessment.
While that’s being viewed as a win, buying the community some time, opponents say it isn’t enough.
“We’ve already pushed this off for a minimum of three years when their plan originally was to have a start date of 2025,” said Dresden resident Jake Sayer. “We’ve won the first step, but we’ve gotta keep going. We can’t stop; we’ve got to make sure we continue to do our research on this.”
New Blue Party candidate Dr. Keith Benn didn’t mince words in his comments to the crowd.
“Never assume that the government bureaucracy is going to do what’s right,” he said. “We’ve got to put their feet to the fire. It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
East Kent Coun. Steve Pinsonneault, who is running for the Progressive Conservatives, assured the gathering that the province is listening.
“Keep up doing everything you are doing because you are doing it right,” the Thamesville resident stated. “You won the first round. This is an unfair landfill and I don’t support it and I won’t support it.”
In her comments, NDP candidate Kathryn Shailer said the landfill is a provincial matter, adding it’s within the province’s power to shut down the project at any time.
“But they haven’t done that,” Shailer stressed.
Dresden CARED is putting on a second public meeting at the Ken Houston Memorial Agriculture Centre April 11, beginning at 6 p.m. More information can be found on the group’s website.
