The waste management company hoping to reopen and expand a dormant landfill near Dresden is attempting to distance itself from controversial political donations.
York1 Waste Solutions Ltd. has released details about legal action that it has taken against the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for imposing a comprehensive environmental assessment (EA) on the landfill property at 29831 Irish School Rd., just outside the town of Dresden.
The new information was released last week, the same month that Liberal MPP and Critic for Rural and Agricultural Affairs, Ted Hsu sent a letter to Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner, requesting an investigation into connections between Premier Doug Ford, three ministers, and the developer owners of the Irish School Road site.
Records show that the owners, family members and executives of their companies have donated roughly $200,000 to the PCs since 2018, which includes numerous contributions that were made around key regulatory decisions affecting the landfill site.
However, York1 spokesperson Laryssa Waler pointed out that the waste company filed a Judicial Review in Divisional Court on July 29, 2024.
“York1 is suing the provincial government… that doesn’t sound like they’re buddy buddy, that sounds like it’s pretty confrontational right now,” she said. “This is not like the [United] States where you make big political donations and you get what you want from a political favour. That is not the case in Canada, that is not the case in Ontario. We have such strong laws preventing that.”
In its notice of application for a Judicial Review, York1 stated that the need for a comprehensive EA would “result in additional expense and time” which would render the project “unfeasible.”
York1 also stated that prior to purchasing the property, the Environment Ministry provided the company with a written statement that only a screening assessment would be required and a comprehensive environmental assessment would not be needed.
“York1 launched a Judicial Review against the government saying, ‘we want to be treated like you told us you were going to treat us in 2022 when we bought the facility,” said Waler.
While the Judicial Review has yet to come before Divisional Court, the Ontario government has already reversed its position. In April, the province announced legislation that would remove environmental assessment requirements for the landfill property through the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025,” also known as Bill 5, paving the way for York1 to move forward with its project.
“Maybe they did that because York1 launched a Judicial Review against them,” said Waler. “Why [the government] put this in Bill 5, you’d have to ask them that.”
The province has justified flip-flopping on the environmental assessment by citing the need to provide additional waste capacity in Ontario due to the threat of US tariffs impacting the province’s waste sector. York1 has also used this rationale on an information website promoting its plans for a regenerative recycling facility on the Dresden-area property.
Plans to reopen the landfill site have been met with significant public opposition since they were made public in early 2024. Chatham-Kent Council and municipal administration have also unanimously opposed the project in any form.
According to the municipality, existing environmental compliance approvals for the landfill site are still active but are historic in nature. Chatham-Kent officials said the current environmental approvals for the landfill do not meet modern standards.
“If you want to make the argument that it’s a different kind of landfill or that the process shouldn’t have been the process, and that York1 is somehow taking advantage of an existing process — this is the government’s process,” said Waler.
Despite community concern, Waler maintained that the proposed regenerative recycling facility will only accept construction materials and not household waste. She added that any actions taken by York1 will “be done under strict environmental oversight.”
A webpage providing additional information on the proposed landfill development and Chatham-Kent’s ongoing efforts to oppose it can be found by clicking here.
