A local group opposing the proposed expansion of a landfill site north of Dresden is accusing Ontario’s premier of ignoring the community.
Protesters against the landfill lined the street holding signs near the Wallaceburg site of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Wednesday morning, ahead of a planned visit by Premier Doug Ford. However, Ford cancelled his appearance at the hospital moments before a scheduled press conference.
The premier’s staff told the hospital that Ford had been held up due to significant fog in the GTA.
Stephan Premdas, chair of Dresden Dresden Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal (C.A.R.E.D.), said he was not surprised that Ford chose “to take this tact with our community,” implying that the premier had no intention of attending.
“We think the premier might be trying to avoid the community that he is in charge of taking care of,” said Premdas. “We showed up today to show the premier peacefully that our community will not be ignored and he’s choosing to ignore us.”
C.A.R.E.D. has been advocating against proposals made by York1 Environmental Waste Solutions to reopen and expand a dormant landfill on Irish School Road just outside of Dresden. The Mississauga-based company has made two applications to the Environment Ministry to amend the existing Environmental Compliance Approval for the landfill site, which has not been in operation since the 1980s.
Premdas said he was not disappointed by Ford’s absence on Wednesday, adding that he didn’t expect much engagement from the premier.
“We kind of knew that the premier would choose to not answer questions today on anything relevant, that matters in our community,” he said. “When we look at Question Period, all we see is a pivot to some other stat in some other concerned area, but never addressing anything that’s asked.”
Ford was asked about the landfill site during a stop in Windsor in March where he admitted to being unaware of the controversy in Dresden. However, the premier stated that he planned to listen to the public on the issue.
“I believe in the people. If people like something, we do it. If they don’t, we don’t do it. It’s about as simple as that,” Ford said.
The Ontario Environment Ministry has also posted a notice on the Environmental Registry of Ontario website in an effort to garner feedback on a proposal that would require York1 to complete a comprehensive environmental assessment prior to proceeding with its proposals.
