Subject: Strong Opposition…

Subject: Strong Opposition to Removing Environmental Assessment Requirements for York1 Waste Disposal Site Project (ERO #025-0389)

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to express my deep opposition to the proposed removal of Environmental Assessment (EA) requirements for the York1 Waste Disposal Site Project (ERO #025-0389) through the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025.”

As a parent raising a young daughter in Dresden — less than a kilometer from this proposed landfill site — I am terrified for her health and future. My daughter is just six years old. I should be worrying about school projects and birthday parties, not whether asbestos fibers or silica dust from a massive industrial waste facility will make her sick. The thought of her breathing in these harmful materials, playing in a town overshadowed by an enormous landfill, fills me with overwhelming anxiety.

This project is not just a technical or regulatory matter — it is a direct threat to the health and wellbeing of an entire community, including two schools within 700 meters of the site. There is no responsible justification for pushing this development through without the proper Environmental Assessment that is meant to protect the public, the land, and the water we all depend on.

Furthermore, York1’s track record raises serious concerns. They have previously been fined for misreporting waste volumes — how can we trust that they will responsibly manage a facility of this magnitude without the rigorous oversight that an EA would provide? They propose to massively expand operations, handling asbestos, contaminated soils, construction debris, and running 24/7. And yet, without an EA, there would be no comprehensive, independent analysis of the risks to air quality, groundwater, surface water (especially given proximity to the local creek and river), and soil.

Additionally, allowing this project to proceed unchecked would have disastrous effects on local property values, harming families financially, emotionally, and physically. No one should have to choose between staying in their hometown or protecting their family’s health.

The Environmental Assessment process exists for a reason. It ensures that projects like this one are subject to the scrutiny they require when public health, the environment, and community futures are at stake. Removing these safeguards is not “protecting Ontario” — it is sacrificing small communities like ours for corporate convenience.

I urge you in the strongest possible terms: do not remove the Environmental Assessment requirements for the York1 Waste Disposal Site Project. Our children’s health, our homes, and our environment are worth far more than temporary economic expediency.