I am opposed to the portion…

I am opposed to the portion of the proposed Bill 5 that would revoke Ontario Regulation 284/24 which would require a full and comprehensive Environmental Assessment of the property at 29831 Irish School Road, Dresden, ON. There are many reasons why an Environmental Assessment is required. I will focus on truck traffic.

My property is approximately 1 kilometre from the proposed dump site. I am gravely concerned about 700 trucks daily entering the facility and 700 trucks exiting the facility when it is running at capacity. My concerns are the noise, the emissions, the toll on the roads and the danger to my children and all local children.

First the noise. Can you imagine the horrendous sound of 700 dump boxes slamming daily? Can you imagine the noise pollution created in a quiet community by the braking and accelerating of this quantity of heavy traffic? This is an assault on our senses. There are many unpopulated locations that would be better suited for a dump in Ontario, not a location within 0.8km from a town and with houses located right on the dump boundaries.

Second emissions. It is a proven fact that emissions from trucks contribute to climate change and air pollution. One semi-truck can create 223 tons of carbon dioxide per year (FreightWaves). Think about the CO2 emissions from 700 trucks! Why force trucks to drive such long distances to Dresden for a dump and contribute to this problem? Find an unpopulated location closer to the sources. Then there are the greenhouse gas emissions. Heavy and medium duty trucks account for about 23% of GHG transportation emissions (https://www.epa.gov Environmental Protection Agency; Fast Facts on Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions). Do not make it worse by driving to Dresden.

Third, the roads and bridges. Roads and bridges in our community, townships, county and municipality are not constructed for this type or amount of heavy traffic. Sure, York1 will give money to keep them quiet and assist with this problem but our society should not function on hush money.

Most importantly are my children and all local children. What about their safety? School buses start and stop in this location daily with my children on board. My children are driven by this location multiple times daily to go to the arena, baseball diamond, soccer field, grocery store, church, school and community events. My children will learn to drive on this section of the highway. There is only one paved way into town. It is not safe for my children and other local children. Please ensure a full and comprehensive EA to protect children from this quantity and type of traffic.

Noise, emissions, the toll on the roads and the safety of children are reasons why a full and comprehensive Environmental Assessment of the property at 29831 Irish School Road, Dresden, ON is needed. Please do not allow Bill 5 to revoke Ontario Regulation 284/24.