Eelunaapeewi Lahkeewiit …

Eelunaapeewi Lahkeewiit (Delaware Nation) strongly opposes the proposed Dresden landfill, which the Ontario government is attempting to fast-track through Bill 5 without proper environmental oversight or First Nations consultation. The Nation emphasizes that the project violates their rights to free, prior, and informed consent as affirmed under UNDRIP, and would inflict further harm on a community already burdened by systemic health inequities and environmental injustices. The landfill poses serious risks, including air and water pollution, soil contamination, and the disruption of traditional medicines and spiritual practices—threats that undermine both physical health and cultural survival. The Nation views the exemption of the project from a full environmental assessment as an act of environmental racism and a continuation of colonial patterns of marginalization. Eelunaapeewi Lahkeewiit demands the immediate halt of the project, enforcement of protective laws like Bill 197, and full, respectful consultation that incorporates Indigenous knowledge and cumulative impact analysis.