The federal government is reviewing complaints over plans to establish a landfill site within a kilometre of Dresden.
Mississauga-based York1 Environmental Waste Solutions Ltd. intends to revive a dormant dump site at 29831 Irish School Rd.
In early June, the province passed its Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act 2025. As part of that bill, York1 would no longer be required to undergo an environmental assessment for the Irish School Road property.
Local residents and the municipality are vehemently opposed to opening a landfill so close to Dresden.
In the effort to get the landfill stopped, the citizen’s group Dresden C.A.R.E.D. and the municipality have submitted documentation to the federal government under the Impact Assessment Act.
Dave Taylor, deputy CAO for Chatham-Kent, and the municipality’s top legal mind, said the feds sought more comments on the matter and the municipality delivered on Sept. 15.
“We’re pointing to the aspect of the York1 proposal that would cross over to federal aspects. There are overlapping federal and provincial environmental issues,” he said. “There is also the impact on indigenous nations’ rights.
“We need to consider all areas of jurisdiction here. We want to make sure there has been a fulsome review of it. Unfortunately, that’s not happening at the provincial level,” Taylor added.
He credits Dresden C.A.R.E.D for taking the lead on this effort.
“It’s actually Dresden C.A.R.E.D. members who made the request (under the Impact Assessment Act) first, with the aid of CELA, the Canadian Environmental Lawyers Association,” he said. “Council also authorised staff to make a similar request to the federal government.”
The purpose of this Impact Assessment Act, according to its federal government website, “is to prevent or mitigate significant adverse effects within federal jurisdiction — and significant direct or incidental adverse effects — that may be caused by the carrying out of designated projects, as well as significant adverse environmental effects … that may be caused by the carrying out of projects … by establishing processes to anticipate, identify and assess the potential effects of those projects in order to inform decision making under this or any other Act of Parliament in respect of those effects.”
Taylor said the legislation is a process where the federal government can determine whether there needs to be more study on an issue.
He doesn’t know when federal officials will respond.
York1 also plans to build a regenerative recycling facility at the Irish School Road site to repurpose an assortment of materials to be used in other construction projects.
A leachate ponding system will be built as well.
York1 has said it will operate the facility from Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. accepting up to 6,000 tonnes of waste daily. Earlier plans posted by the company stated there could be as many as 700 trucks travelling to the site each day.
