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 unfair and dangerous.

We’re being told that Bill 197 — which gives municipalities the right to refuse landfills within 3.5 km of a town — doesn’t apply because this was a “pre-existing” landfill. But the reality is, that’s just not true. The original landfill activity at this site ended decades ago. Since then, the site has reportedly been used as a gun range and bomb disposal site for police — a totally different use. That means this is not an active landfill — it’s a new application in all but name, and should be subject to modern rules.

It’s completely unacceptable that a facility of this size and impact could be approved without a full Environmental Assessment, especially when it is just over 800 metres from the town of Dresden, near two schools, homes, farms, and Indigenous lands. The environmental, health, and safety risks are enormous — from silica and asbestos dust, to traffic from 700 trucks a day, to long-term soil and groundwater contamination.

We understand the government is citing potential U.S. tariffs on waste as a reason to rush this through. But there are no actual tariffs in place, and even if there were, that does not justify risking the health of an entire town and wrecking a tight-knit community. Dresden is a beautiful, historic place — known as “Christmas Town,” with small-town charm and a deep sense of togetherness. That’s what’s at stake here.

People are terrified — of health risks, of losing their homes, of watching their community fall apart. Property values are already being affected. Families are thinking of leaving. And for what? To fast-track a landfill we don’t want, run by a company with a history of environmental and safety violations?

Let me be clear: Chatham-Kent Council is unanimously opposed. Every single person in Dresden is opposed. And so are people across Chatham-Kent, because this is not just a Dresden issue — it’s a regional and provincial issue.

Please do not repeal Ontario Regulation 284/24. We deserve a full Environmental Assessment — and if this project can’t pass that process, then it should not go ahead.

This isn’t just a bad location — it’s the wrong thing to do.