By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The people leading the fight against the York1/Whitestone Fields mega-dump doubt the provincial government is going to help them.
That’s according to Stefan Premdas, executive director of Dresden Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal (C.A.R.E.D.). Premdas said he has “zero confidence” elected officials will intervene to halt Bill 5, that will allow developers to fast-track Irish School Road project by bypassing an environmental assessment.
Premdas’ comments come on the heels of an eventful week that saw members of Dresden CARED and Walpole Island First Nation travel to Queen’s Park May 13 to voice their concerns.
But while they were able to meet with all three opposition leaders, as well as Independent MPP Bobbi Ann Brady, Premier Doug Ford and Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault were nowhere to be found.
“Overwhelmingly, this sends a signal to our community and rural Ontario,” Premdas stated, stressing the Dresden community is outraged and feels “betrayed” by government.
“We are having a hard time believing this has anything to do with Canada’s waste problem,” he added.
According to a statement from the premier’s office, Bill 5 is being brought forward to ensure the province has enough landfill capacity in the event Trump closes the border to Ontario garbage. Currently, 40 per cent of the province’s waste is trucked to Michigan and New York.
Other developments have occurred. On May 9, Liberal MPP Ted Hsu sent a letter to Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner asking for an investigation into whether Ford, former Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks Andrea Khanjin, current MOECP minister Todd McCarthy and Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce have contravened the Member’s Integrity Act or breached parliamentary convention in regard to decisions made about the Dresden landfill.
In a May 9 story by Trillium.ca, a Queen’s Park news outlet, financial records show the owners of York1/Whitestone Fields have made donations to Progressive Conservatives coffers.
Information gleaned from Elections Ontario financial contribution lists indicate York1 chief operating officer Brian Brunetti and brothers Andrew and Daniel Guizzetti, along with family members and related businesses, have contributed more than $115,000 to the PCs since 2018.
The Guizzettis are major players in real estate and construction, overseeing Willowdale Asset Management, including Empire Communities. Empire has built more than 10,000 homes in Ontario.
When questioned by a reporter in Pickering about the MPP’s request to investigate the matter, Ford said he wasn’t acquainted with Brunetti or the Guizzettis, and reiterated the province needs to protect Ontario against Trump by increasing landfill capacity.
“I don’t even know who these guys are, to be honest with you,” Ford was quoted as saying.
However, Hsu isn’t buying it and stated so in the legislature May 13.
“I want to know if public policy in Ontario is for sale,” Hsu said, pointing out that donations from the Dresden landfill’s owners poured in after the province mandated an Environmental Assessment for the project in 2024. The assessment was promised prior to a Lambton-Kent-Middlesex byelection in May 2024 that saw PC candidate Pinsonneault elected.
Bill 5 – the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act 2025 – announced by the government last month, revokes the EA, and will allow the Dresden project to quickly proceed. The bill has passed its second reading, with Chatham-Kent–Leamington MPP Trevor Jones and Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey both voting in favour. Pinsonneault did not vote.
Hsu was blunt with his questions.
“People in Ontario want to know if the way to get ahead, is by making the right political donations?” Hsu asked.
York1 has made two applications to the province to increase the “waste storage, transfer and processing area” at the Irish School Road site from 0.8 hectares (20 acres) to 25 hectares (61.8 acres.)
The company has applied to run the facility 24/7 and accept 6,000 tonnes of waste daily. York1 is also looking to build a facility to process blue box materials and wash contaminated soil.
The province provided a month-long window for citizens to make submissions on the project. That window closed May 17.
