‘We’re on the same team’: Chatham-Kent rallies Dresden residents to fight landfill

Community reaction following a public meeting last night about the proposed Dresden dump. CTV Windsor’s Michelle Maluske explains.

A website called ‘Defend Dresden’ has now been launched by the municipality, outlining the ways they intend to fight a proposed dump in the small town.

“Nobody wants this to happen and know that we at the front of this room don’t want this to happen either,” David Taylor, director of Legal Services told the packed crowd Monday night. “We’re all on the same team here.”

Concerned residents drove to the meeting in a convoy, with some residents holding signs against the proposed development.

Dozens more stood out front of the Ken Houston Memorial Arena before the town meeting, with signs opposed to York1 Environmental Waste Solutions.

According to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks the Toronto-area company intends to reopen and expand an existing landfill on Irish School Road, just north of this small town.

“It doesn’t matter to them (York1) about what happens in our little town, for our little community, our little river,” one woman said at the information meeting. “It doesn’t matter to them, but it really matters to us.”

The meeting was intended to outline how the municipality plans to fight the legislation legally, while giving residents the tools they need to submit their thoughts on the proposed exemption of the project.

“Yes, we have a landfill,” CAO Michael Duben said at the meeting before quickly adding “we don’t need another.”

“There’s 444 municipalities in Ontario. I realize we have a, you know, a waste and a garbage issue in our province, but that doesn’t mean that Chatham-Kent has to be the municipality that has to solve it all.”

“It is going to take a lot of votes at Queen’s Park to stop Bill 5, or a lot of favours to get the wording surrounding York1 and Dresden removed from the bill,” Stefan Premdas, co-founder of Dresden Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal (C.A.R.E.D.) told the crown Monday night.

Bill 5 looks to exempt the project

On April 17, Premier Doug Ford announced his intention to exempt the project from a full environmental assessment, through Bill 5 - Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act.

Specifically, the bill would amend the Enivronmental Assessment Act as follows:

Part II.3 of the Act requires every proponent who wishes to proceed with a Part II.3 project to apply to the Minister for approval to do so. The Act is amended to provide that specified activities relating to the Chatham-Kent waste disposal site are exempt from Part II.3 of the Act.

The bill doesn’t specifically reference York1 Environmental Waste Solutions, but the Ministry’s technical briefing on April 17 does.

CTV News reported in March York1 had sold the property known legally as 29831 Irish School Road.

The company has not responded to numerous emails from CTV News.

A spokesperson told CTV News in April “The ministry (of Environment, Conservation and Parks) is aware of the recent change in ownership of the property and have been in contact with York1 regarding the sale.“

CTV News is awaiting a response today, from the MECP on who owns the property.

Residents have until May 17, to submit their opinion on the project’s exemption from a full environmental assessment.