The company attempting to reopen the contentious Dresden landfill site is no longer taking the municipality to court over zoning permissions.
York1 Waste Solutions has formally withdrawn its court application related to local planning requirements for a proposed waste-processing facility on Irish School Road.
The Mississauga-based company served Chatham-Kent with a challenge in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last November, arguing that the landfill site does not require any land-use planning approvals from CK Council.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent said it received a formal Notice of Abandonment of the court application from York1 on Thursday.
However, the municipality said the court case was not a final determination of whether York1 can proceed with its plans for the landfill site, and anticipates that York1 will now proceed through the usual municipal planning approval processes.
“If York1 submits a planning application, it would be subject to the applicable municipal planning requirements and processes. This means that the decision would be subject to council approval, [and] that future public meetings may be held,” the municipality said in a news release.
If CK Council were to deny York1’s application, the company could then appeal the decision with the Ontario Land Tribunal.
York1 submitted two applications to the Environment Ministry in the summer outlining plans to construct a waste transfer and processing facility at the landfill site that would receive, transfer, sort, and process non-hazardous waste, construction and demolition waste, wood waste, and soils.
The company’s plans to reopen the dormant landfill have been met with significant opposition from local residents since they were made public in early 2024. Chatham-Kent Council and municipal administration also oppose the project in any form.