Municipal officials are holding firm in their opposition to a proposed landfill near Dresden.
As it considers a federal review of York1 Environmental Waste Solution’s plans to reopen a dormant landfill on Irish School Road, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada recently approached the Municipality of Chatham-Kent for more details on potential environmental and Indigenous impacts of the project.
Chatham-Kent’s external legal counsel explained that the project would require several municipal planning approvals under Ontario’s Planning Act, including changes to zoning and the Official Plan.
The Municipality also emphasized that these provincial processes do not provide a full or adequate review of potential impacts on the environment or Indigenous rights, and therefore continue to support a federal Impact Assessment under the Impact Assessment Act.
In their submission, municipal officials also corrected a number of inaccuracies made by York1 in materials submitted to the IAAC. The company suggested Chatham-Kent supports the proposal and that Indigenous nations have not raised any concerns. However, council formally opposed the project in February, 2024. CK officials also say no meaningful consultation has taken place between York1 and the Municipality, and that York1 has not even contacted the Municipality since submitting its proposal to the Province. The municipal statement also noted several Indigenous communities, including Walpole Island First Nation and the Delaware Nation Council, have repeatedly expressed concerns about the project’s potential impacts.
“Our residents and impacted Indigenous nations have raised serious concerns about the potential environmental and community impacts of this proposal,” said Mayor Darrin Canniff in a news release. “We believe the federal review process is the right step to ensure those concerns are properly addressed and that the community has a transparent and fair say in this matter. Our role is to make sure the facts are clear and that the community’s interests are protected.”
The Municipality has asked the federal government to designate the proposed facility for review under section 9(1) of the Impact Assessment Act, which would ensure that potential environmental and Indigenous impacts are carefully and independently assessed.
