I’m writing to strongly…

I’m writing to strongly oppose the proposed landfill and waste facility at 29831 Irish School Road near Dresden.

What’s happening here is wrong — plain and simple.

Back in 2020, the government passed Bill 197, which gave municipalities the right to refuse landfills within 3.5 km of a town. That law was passed for a reason — because it is unsafe to have large-scale waste operations located so close to where people live, go to school, and grow food.

Now, through Bill 5, it feels like those protections are being stripped away by trying to rely on outdated Ministry approvals from the 1960s — approvals that were never intended for what’s now being proposed. That site was only ever used for incinerator ash decades ago. What’s being proposed today is a completely different, much larger and more dangerous operation, and it should be held to modern standards — including a full Environmental Assessment.

At first, we were told Bill 97 couldn’t apply, which already didn’t sit right with us. But at the very least, we were promised a full Environmental Assessment under Ontario Regulation 284/24. And now even that is at risk of being repealed. It feels like everything is being done to rush this through — no matter what it costs the community.

We’re being told this is urgent because of possible future tariffs on waste under a potential Trump presidency. But let’s be honest: there are no tariffs in place right now, and this kind of decision should not be based on speculation. Even if tariffs do happen in the future, this is not the place for a landfill like this.

You do not put the health and safety of a whole town on the line just to get ahead of a hypothetical situation. You do not risk our air, our farmland, our water, and our children’s health for a project that should never have been considered this close to a residential area in the first place. We cannot afford to make decisions like this based on fear or convenience.

This proposed site is just over 800 metres from Dresden, with two schools nearby, homes, farms, and Indigenous lands surrounding it. There’s a reason landfills aren’t allowed within 3.5 km of a town — and nothing has changed to justify ignoring that.

People here are scared. We’re scared about asbestos, silica dust, cancer risks, 700 trucks a day rumbling through our communities. We’re worried about our property values, about not being able to sell our homes, about whether it’s safe to stay in the town we love. Families are already talking about leaving.

Dresden is more than just a dot on a map. It’s known as Christmas Town, and it honestly feels like a Hallmark movie — close-knit, friendly, and filled with community spirit. We care about each other. We care about our environment. And we care about making sure our kids grow up in a safe, healthy place.

This proposal is not just bad for Dresden — it’s bad for all of Chatham-Kent and for Ontario. Our municipal council is unanimously opposed, and so is every single person in town.

Please do not repeal Ontario Regulation 284/24. Let this project go through a full Environmental Assessment. If it can’t pass that process, it shouldn’t move forward — and deep down, we all know it wouldn’t.

This landfill has no place here. Not now. Not ever.