I am a 6th-generation farmer…

I am a 6th-generation farmer in the Dresden area. My family has been working this land for well over a century — long before any talk of landfills or waste facilities. This farm isn’t just my livelihood; it’s my heritage, my legacy, and what I hope to pass down to the next generation. That legacy is now under serious threat.

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed landfill, recycling, and waste facility at 29831 Irish School Road. This operation would be an irreversible blow to the agricultural integrity of our land and our community.

Our farms rely on clean air, uncontaminated water, and healthy soil. The potential for airborne asbestos, silica dust, and other pollutants is terrifying — not just for our families and workers, but for our crops. Contaminated dust settling on our fields can leach into the soil and water table, risking the safety of the food we grow and the sustainability of our land. Once that damage is done, there is no going back.

I also worry about the 700 trucks a day expected to pass through the area. These trucks will destroy rural roads not designed for that kind of load, increase the risk of accidents on narrow farm routes, and introduce noise and vibrations that disrupt livestock and daily operations. We are already seeing the impact of industrial traffic in other areas — bringing that volume to Dresden would be disastrous.

We have done our part. Chatham-Kent already hosts a major landfill. We contribute to Ontario’s economy every day — through food production, land stewardship, and local support of provincial goals. We are asking for the same respect and protection in return.

This entire community — farmers, families, Indigenous neighbours, and the local municipal council — is united in opposition to this proposal. Council has already voted unanimously against it, and you will be hard-pressed to find a single person in Dresden who supports it.

Please, I beg you to maintain the requirement for a full Environmental Assessment. If this project is truly safe and justified, let it go through the process. But I suspect, as many do, that it would not survive such scrutiny — and that’s exactly why the company wants the protections removed.

This is not just about one piece of land — it’s about protecting generations of agriculture, clean food, and rural life. Don’t let our future be buried beneath someone else’s garbage.