The historically significant…

The historically significant and world renowned community of Dresden, home to the Josiah Henson Cabin formerly known as Uncle Tom’s Cabin is outraged and betrayed by the Ford government and our own Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault, for attempting to fast track the York1 landfill expansion north of town. Under Bill 5 - Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act 2025, the province is looking to reverse its decision to place a Comprehensive Environmental Assessment on the project – an action the citizens in Chatham-Kent vehemently oppose.

A year ago in February 2024 on the first day of Black History Month local residents accidentally discovered the proposal for this project. Neither Chatham-Kent nor Bkejwanong - Walpole Island First Nation was notified or consulted on the matter. Since that time we have worked with Ministry of the Environment staff to gain thousands of pages of documents. In York 1’s own words it was a landfill Re-Activation, not an expansion. As outlined on the Environmental Registry of Ontario website, York1 requested a Change in Service Area, and a Change of Material to be Accepted on site.

The Ministry Staff Listed no less than 5 separate ECA and EPA compliances needed including emphasizing that York 1 would need a comprehensive Environmental Assessment. The MOECP stated they did not concur with York 1 statements regarding geological stability given the weight, requesting it be completed according to ontario reg. 232/98.

This geological instability coupled with York 1 reports that state the site has naturally occurring gas in levels exceeding the lower explosive threshold, and this explosive gas layer running along the Kettle Point aquifer. This aquifer sits under our town, and is a cause for grave concern to Dresden residents. We Remember the catastrophic explosion in Wheatley 2021,

The Ministry’s staff repeatedly reaffirmed in communications with York 1, their strong position that this project undergoes extensive evaluations. Other concerns re: the site's designation as a wetland and flood zone, which under Ontario landfill regulations, is not a suitable location, was outlined by the ministry staff.
You could imagine the community’s surprise when York 1 told us they did not need any Approval from the Municipality of Chatham Kent or the Ministry of Environment.

Dresden’s community acted quickly to request that Bill 197 be used as the mechanism to stop the re-activation of this project. Both affected municipalities, including Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton voted unanimously to oppose the proposal, due to the many outlined dangers, including the close proximity to our town and the distances 700 trucks traveling through small towns whose municipal budget would be strained by roadworks.

The Ford government refused, citing the fact it was an expansion of an existing dump.

York 1 documents list the site’s last known uses as the Chatham-Kent Police Service gun and bomb range, prime agricultural farmland and a wood chipping disposal site: all acceptable uses under the landfill regulations for a property that was closed down 43 yrs ago.

Additionally we asked the premiere to revoke the dormant license and were denied this legal remedy used by the Ford government in 2018 on another project.

Our ERO comments and election pressure got us this EA. Not Progressive Conservation candidate Steve Pinsonneault. Advocacy group Dresden Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal (C.A.R.E.D.) provided Pinsonneault with the info we gathered, in an attempt to get the info to the premier who stated he “did not know” about the project, but if we did not want it he would listen.This was done to help him understand how unfit the site is and the dangers it poses to the community, our local economy, and more than 88 species at risk. The nearby Sydenham River, which feeds directly into the Great Lakes system is federally protected, and the York1 project puts it at risk. Our agrifood sector, international soybean contracts with China, and our Conagra food processing plant are also threatened by this project.

I would like to ask Ontarians, who among you would like to eat vegetables grown next to a landfill that’s processing asbestos? Who wants to drink water from a well or eat fish from a river that will be contaminated by a host of water soluble cancer causing chemicals? Who here has ever said they willingly choose to live on the front door step of a smelly 80 meter high dump, while waiting for the aquifer to collapse under its weight, triggering the explosive gasses to ignite?

Our community is confused & outraged as to how this company got this project singled out to be written into an Omnibus bill that takes away our voice and places us in danger.
Our town feels like we are now part of the Species at risk if the project goes through.

Again we ask that the Proposed Dresden Landfill, Hazardous Soil Washing & alternative fuel capture Renewable Energy project
be withdrawn from Bill 5.
The Dormant license be revoked or at the bare minimum, a full Comprehensive E.A. go ahead to ensure the Protection of the community and the Federally Protected Sydenham river and its spawning grounds.
We also call upon the Government to Halt the Constitutional overreach that threatens to take away 1st Nations Federal Treaty Rights.

It is CELA’s submission that all of the Bill 5 schedules, with minor exceptions, should be withdrawn and not further considered by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario until they are substantially modified to ensure robust protection for the environment, human health, and vulnerable members of the Ontario public, including Indigenous peoples, who may otherwise be harmed by the amendments contained in the various schedules.