By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The controversial Dresden landfill expansion issue is on its way to the floor of the Ontario Legislature.
The NDP has started a parliamentary petition asking the province to halt the project, and Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles, along with other members of the NDP caucus, have promised to bring the petition forward at Queen’s Park.
At a recent NDP campaign event in Strathroy, members of Dresden C.A.R.E.D. (Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal), met with the Opposition leader to discuss the petition and make their concerns known.
According to Dresden C.A.R.E.D. spokesman Stefan Premdas, the petition, which is still being circulated, will be introduced to the legislature in batches as signatures come in.
It’s all about holding Premier Doug Ford and the government to task, Premdas explained.
The petition calls on the provincial government to immediately put the project on hold and to investigate other methods and sites to dispose of the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario’s waste.
“We would like to hold the premier accountable and not to forget what he said in Essex,” Premdas said in reference to a statement Ford made at an infrastructure funding announcement March 11.
At the time, Ford said he was unaware of developer York1’s plans in Dresden when questioned by a reporter, saying he would look into it. He went on to say that he “believes in the people,” stating that if they don’t like something “we don’t do it.”
On March 15, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks Andrea Khanjin announced on X (Twitter) she will be “taking steps to require this project to complete a comprehensive environmental assessment under the Environmental Assessment Act.”
It’s unclear if there is a timeline on the York1 proposal, however, some officials say a full environmental assessment could take at least three years.
For the past three months the fight against a planned landfill expansion by York1 Environmental Waste Solutions on Irish School Road has mushroomed. The issue came to light at the end of January when a proposed application by the company to expand the dormant landfill at Dresden was discovered on the Environmental Registry of Ontario website.
All told, York1 has made three applications on the ERO, that would allow 6,000 tonnes of waste to be trucked to the Irish School Road site every day. The company is seeking permission to build a regenerative recycling facility to repurpose construction waste and soil from demolition sites, as well as expand the site’s landfill capacity.
Local residents fear the impacts of the project to the community, including the pressure of up to 700 trucks a day, as well as the potential pollution of the Sydenham River watershed.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent did not receive notice of any concrete plans from York1 regarding the expansion and has since pledged that it will not spare any expense to fight the proposal. Lambton County and Dawn-Euphemia are also officially opposed.
Since the start of the landfill debacle, Dresden C.A.R.E.D. has met with various candidates vying to become Lambton-Kent-Middlesex’s Member of Provincial Parliament. On April 26, Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie paid a visit to Dresden to hear the concerns of residents first hand.
Editor’s note: Dresden C.A.R.E.D.’s meeting with Stiles and NDP candidate Kathryn Shailer took place prior to the May 2 Lambton-Kent-Middlesex by-election.
