Municipal officials met with a consultant from York1 recently, and provided council with an update Nov. 17.
Council also learned York1 – who has plans to develop a recycling and landfill operation near Dresden – has filed a court application against the municipality.
Emily Crawford, director of legal services for Chatham-Kent, said the legal filing was a response to the municipality’s stance.
“Administration has been very clear with York1 throughout the evolution of what we understand to be their proposal for the site. Should they proceed, it would be the municipality’s expectation that they follow the Planning Act approval processes that rests with the municipality,” she said. “That has been reiterated to York1 several times.”
However, the company on Nov. 14 served the municipality with a court application from Ontario Superior Court in Chatham.
“They’ll be seeking a court order that they are exempt from those Planning Act approval processes, essentially on the basis of what they call legal non-conforming use,” Crawford told council Nov. 17. “It’s their position that because of prior activities on that site, they do not need to pursue these additional approval processes. Of course we’ll be opposing that.”
Dave Taylor, deputy CAO for the municipality updated council on the meeting he, CAO Michael Duben and general manager of development services Bruce McAllister had with York1’s planning consultant.
“We expressed the serious concerns the community has with the proposal, particularly about the lack of communication,” he said. “We don’t have the details on what the proposal even is.”
Taylor said there were details released through the province’s Environmental Registry in early 2024, but those predated Ontario’s’ Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing the Economy Act, which removed the need for York1 to have an environmental assessment done on the Irish School Road property just north of Dresden.
“We don’t actually know whether York1 is proceeding with the same project or a different project,” Taylor said. “York1 has suggested there are changes. We asked the planner. We said we need the details. The community has a right to know.”
He added the municipal team also asked for details and background studies – information that was supplied to the province.
“We want to know things like where the truck traffic might actually go,” Taylor said. “The consultant provided some limited details.”
Hundreds of trucks could be using the site every day.
Duben said dealing with York1 has been frustrating.
“There’s a lot of misinformation in the information they’ve given the public,” he said.
There is no follow-up meeting planned as of yet, but C-K officials have left the door open.
“We’d be willing to meet if they provide the information we’ve asked for,” Duben said.
