I am writing to you in…

I am writing to you in regards to the York 1's Waste Solutions proposal of a re-development of a former tile yard in Dresden Ontario, 1 km from our small town. York 1 is wanting to use our valuable land for a huge landfill and eventually a mega dump for their large urban centers benefit and this in turn will be detrimental with numerous risks to our small tight knit community.

A town where York 1 landfill will cause pollution, noise and health hazards and that list is becoming much longer as residents are slowly learning the hidden facts being released. Trucks are to run 24 hours a day on our towns, and neighbouring roadways that are already under stress and will in turn cause safety issues for our rural buses bringing children to and from schools. We are a large farming community and this added traffic will be a catastrophe for the farmers travelling on already congested roadways during peak seasons with tractors, combines, wagons tomatoe loads, and safety concerns accessing grain storage areas. As farm owners we already have difficulty turning onto highway 21 with weather issues ,and already non stop traffic with small areas to maneuver safely without the additions of hundreds of trucks a day to add to the chaos of daily work. There is also the increased risk of flooding, as the Dresden residents know occurs here. I remember my dad who was a volunteer fireman having pictures of boats paddling over the Main Street areas to assist people who needed help. It was shocking but it does happen here. Flooding is another huge concern for everyone.
Without a doubt this is a safety issue amongst so many other at risk problems York 1 has not been upfront about and as we the residents are just learning the detrimental impacts this will have on everyone near and surrounding this area of including methane gas and ash that has been buried there for many years that needs to be left dormant.

The water contamination that the leachate and runoff will cause can never be guaranteed to be safe for Mollys Creek, to the Sydenham River on to Lake St. Clair, by Tupperville, Wallaceburg, Walpole Island and Walpoles first nation. Mollys Creek is the home for up to 33 species at risk, including the salamander mussels, Eastern spiny soft shell turtle, fawnsfoot mussel, Eastern foxsnake, blandings turtle, and the pugnose minnow. Not to mention the beauty of the land where deer and wildlife live that we are able to enjoy and study.

It is environmentally unimaginable that York 1 would disturb this area for their profit. Explain to an entire town how this is beneficial to house Toronto’s city garbage and have no concern for our health and way of life. Dresden takes pride from many generations before us who worked hard to keep it prestigious for our enjoyment and for our generations to take pride in and continue to raise their families here. A dump wasn’t one of them! This would be a detriment and a major impact on depleting property value, growth and keeping expansion alive here.

You will not find a resident in Dresden who supports this devastating project on Irish School Road, of an eventual dump and landfill that gives the same similitude as the true story of Erin Brockovich! How can the government support the destruction of the environment, and safety of our families, of this invaluable area with such rich heritage for York 1's profit. We beg you to respect our town where we have the privilege of the
“Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History. It is an open-air museum in Dresden, Ontario, Canada, that documents the life of Josiah Henson, the history of slavery, and the Underground Railroad” that brings hundreds of tourists to our town and school groups.

Please help and support Dresden. We don’t deserve to be used, blindsided and fighting for our rights. The government needs to show us there are truly good honest people on Dresdens’ side in this conflict and that you are here for us and to make this right. To keep our beautiful town free from the destruction and the most important, the residents safety, and safety of our land and environment and species in and surrounding mollys creek and the Sydenham River.

We are a small town but we are not small in our unity, intelligence and devotion to what we know is right and the truth. We are proud to live here in peace and quiet, and thrive with open farmland and a safe haven to live.

Help save Dresden and keep us from the endless list of harm York 1 stands for and the underlying problems that will surface when it is too late.

Thank you for listening. We appreciate your support and the values that you have for doing what is right to keep us and our community safe for years to come -by saying No to York 1.

Sincerely,
S.L.D