Expressing concerns that a proposed landfill expansion north of Dresden could impact additional communities in Chatham-Kent, a local grassroots group is holding an upcoming information meeting in Wallaceburg.
Dresden Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal (C.A.R.E.D.) will hold a public information session on May 6 at the UAW Hall on Elm Street beginning at 6 p.m.
The public meeting will act as a follow-up to two other meetings held in Dresden earlier this month. It will include a presentation to provide attendees with all the facts about the proposed reopening and expansion of a dormant landfill on Irish School Road.
Dresden C.A.R.E.D. secretary Wendy Vercauteren said the group feels the proposed landfill would directly impact Wallaceburg residents due to its close proximity to the 4th Concession Drain and Molly’s Creek.
“The 4th Concession Drain drains into Molly’s Creek and Molly’s Creek drains into the Sydenham River near the Dresden cemetery, and the Sydenham River flows all the way through Dresden, through Tupperville and into Wallaceburg and Walpole Island,” said Vercauteren.
York1 Environmental Waste Solutions, which owns the property on Irish School Road, 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.
Vercauteren said the proposed landfill would result in increased truck traffic on area roads, which would impact other nearby communities as well.
“For the trucks, when they come to Dresden, they potentially could be coming from [Highway] 401 at the Victoria Road exit and coming through the town of Thamesville and down Highway 21 through Wabash and into Dresden,” she said. “This is broader reaching from all perspectives.”
With the upcoming by-election in the Lambton-Kent-Middlesex riding, Vercauteren is urging local residents to speak to the candidates and make their opinions known regarding the proposed landfill.
“So far, all of the candidates are telling us and telling the public that they’re on our side to stop this landfill,” she said. “They need to work hard at stopping this landfill and whoever it is that’s elected needs to make sure they go to Queen’s Park and voice our concerns.”
For more information about Dresden C.A.R.E.D., visit the group’s website by clicking here.
