Hundreds of Dresden residents stood side-by-side on Sunday, voicing their displeasure with the Ontario government in a peaceful human chain protest.
Supporters dotted the side of the road from the landfill site on Irish School Road down St George Street in opposition of the government’s Bill 5.
Organized by the group Dresden Ontario Reaching Out and other supporters, the protest aimed to send a message to the Ford government and York1 Environmental Waste Solutions that the community remains staunchly against any plans to reopen the dormant landfill.
One of the event organizers, Angela Richards, says they want to show the Ford government and York1 that the community is united in protecting the environment for future generations.
“We have to teach our kids to speak up for what’s important to them,” Richards said. “That’s what makes me love doing this job, to protect them for the future to come, and for this huge farming community to stay whole and secure without contamination or dangers.”
Environmental assessment requirements for the York1 waste disposal site project were removed with the passage of the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act this past June.
Richards has issued a personal invitation to Premier Doug Ford to come see the dump’s proximity to local waterways, schools, and the the town for himself.
“Please, I would love to have you come down and have a personal introduction and show you the distance,” Richards said. “I’m hoping this chain, seeing all these bodies from the dump site down to our high school and public school and businesses, will show a better visual to see how close it is.”
While the Ford government maintains the landfill site is needed to help provide more waste capacity in the province, local residents, including Walpole Island First Nation, municipal leaders, and officials from surrounding communities, say reopening and expanding the dump would cause harm to the environment, such as Molly’s Creek, the Sydenham River, and the local ecosystem.
