Rights watchdog slams Ontario bill tied to Dresden landfill

Dresden residents hope to halt the reactivation and expansion of a long dormant landfill just north of town. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)

The fight over a proposed landfill expansion near Dresden is drawing new attention — this time from Amnesty International Canada.

In a release Wednesday, the human rights organization took aim at Ontario’s Bill 5, warning that it threatens Indigenous rights and weakens environmental protections.

The legislation, introduced in April, proposes to exempt the site just north of Dresden from Ontario’s Environmental Assessment Act to allow for a faster approval process.

The decades-old dump, previously used as a tile yard and ash landfill, sits just outside the town limits.

A private group is looking to revive and significantly expand operations there — something Walpole Island First Nation and local environmental advocates have vowed to fight.

A contingent from the First Nation and advocacy group Dresden CARED voiced their concerns at Queen’s Park Tuesday.

Amnesty’s concerns centre on the bill’s plan to create “special economic zones,” where key provincial safeguards — including those around species at risk, water quality and Indigenous consultation — could be suspended.

“We echo the alarms raised by Indigenous leaders and environmental advocates who have called Bill 5 a brazen power grab,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section.

“We cannot build up Ontario by bulldozing down the rights of Indigenous Nations and the natural environment we all depend on and share.”

Amnesty calls for full withdrawal of Bill 5

Amnesty International is urging the province to pull the legislation altogether, calling for:

• An immediate halt to Bill 5
• A renewed commitment to Indigenous rights as affirmed in Canadian law through the federal United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act
• Meaningful consultation with Indigenous Nations and civil society before introducing any new development legislation

“Free, prior and informed consent must be upheld by all levels of government and cannot be legislated away,” said Nivyabandi.

She encouraged Ontario politicians to view Indigenous rights and environmental stewardship as key to long-term growth — not roadblocks.

“A human rights-based approach to development will empower Ontario to avoid the tragic mistakes of the past and build an economy for everyone – Indigenous and non-Indigenous, urban and rural, young and old,” she said.

“By working together and respecting people’s rights, we will be better equipped to respond in times of economic instability and secure a sustainable future for the next generation.”

Ford defends landfill push, citing U.S. reliance

Premier Doug Ford was asked directly about the Dresden landfill Tuesday during a media availability in Pickering.

“You’ve said Ontario needs more landfill capacity,” journalist Jesmeen Gill with The Trillium asked.

“So why did you choose the Dresden landfill over every other potential site when the environmental assessment your government promised was not yet done?”

Ford pointed to Ontario’s dependence on the United States for waste disposal — and concerns that President Donald Trump could cut that off.

“Things have changed since we did that. It was over a year ago,” he said.

“40 per cent of all the garbage goes down to the U.S. It takes one phone call from President Trump to say, ‘cut us off.’ And then what do we do? We have to be prepared.

“I’m not going to rely on President Trump any longer,” Ford added.

“We have to be responsible for our own garbage.”

Asked about a Liberal request for Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner to investigate political donations from the owners of the Dresden site, Ford said he didn’t know them.

“I don’t even know who these guys are, to be honest with you,” he said.

“Someone said their names, but again, I don’t look at who owns it or who doesn’t. What I look at is the capacity issue that we’re facing.”