The proposed landfill…

The proposed landfill project in Dresden from York1 Environmental Waste Solutions Ltd. should be subject to a comprehensive environmental assessment, if not simply rejected by the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks. The scale of the proposal, the location within 700 meters of the elementary school and 500 meters of the town line, and within close proximity of Molly's Creek which flows into the Sydenham River should have given pause to government officials the day it was proposed. This proposal has a high likelihood of negatively impacting the Sydenham River watershed, endangering fish spawning grounds and at-risk species, not to mention downstream communities including Bkejmanong (Walpole Island First Nation).

The Chatham-Kent Council, the Dawn-Euphemia Council, the Lambton County Council have all expressed concerns to government on behalf of their communities and requested a comprehensive environmental assessment.

Please either pass the regulation or move to shut down the project by revoking the dormant landfill license. The Ministry should embark on developing longterm waste management and recycling solutions, as well as assist York1 Environmental Waste Solutions Ltd., find a suitable location for this project closer to where the waste is generated and where it will not cause the environmental degradation of the Dresden proposal. It should NOT foist the fallout of ill-thought out waste management proposals on rural communities.