This consultation was open from:
September 18, 2025
to November 2, 2025
Decision summary
An Environmental Compliance Approval (air & noise) has been granted to GFL Environmental Services Inc., for the operation of a landfill, located in the community of Stoney Creek within the City of Hamilton, Ontario.
Location details
Site address
65 Green Mountain Road West
Hamilton,
ON
L8J 1X5
Canada
Site location map
The location pin reflects the approximate area where environmental activity is taking place.
View this location on a map opens link in a new windowProponent(s)
GFL Environmental Services Inc.
65 Green Mountain Road West
Hamilton,
ON
L8J 1X5
Canada
Decision details
An Environmental Compliance Approval (air & noise) has been granted to GFL Environmental Services Inc., for the operation of a landfill, located in the community of Stoney Creek within the City of Hamilton, Ontario.
This approval includes all emission sources from the facility that exhaust to the atmosphere including a leachate treatment plant carbon filter exhaust, fugitive dust emissions associated with material handling and transfer, stockpiling, and access roads; and fugitive odour emissions resulting from the landfill active working face.
Contaminant emissions to the atmosphere include:
- TRS
- particulate matter
- naphthalene
- vinyl chloride, and
- odour
Effects of consultation
A total of 26 comments were received for this proposal; 18 through the ERO and 8 through direct email submissions.
The following summarizes the main comment themes and the Ministry’s corresponding responses.
Category 1: Odour Impacts and Nuisance
Comments:
Most comments related to persistent odours from the facility and requested stronger odour control measures and enforceable odour performance requirements.
Response:
The ECA includes conditions requiring the Company to implement an updated Odour Management Plan and to complete a Technology Benchmarking Report to identify and evaluate additional odour control options.
Category 2: Continuous Ambient Air Monitoring and Data Transparency
Comments:
Several comments requested continuous, real-time ambient air monitoring at the property boundary and within nearby communities, with monitoring data made publicly available.
Response:
This ECA includes requirements for continuous ambient air monitoring for key parameters and for making monitoring results available in a timely and accessible manner.
Category 3: Public Health
Comments:
Some comments requested that the Ministry require a community health study or human health risk assessment (HHRA) as part of this approval.
Response:
The ministry would leave it to local health authorities to determine whether any community health study is merited. For the ministry's part, our focus is on creating conditions for the facility that ensure responsible operation and to control odour impacts to the neighboring community.
Category 4: Complaint Response, Communication, and Community Engagement
Comments:
Some commenters expressed concern that the existing complaint response process is inadequate and requested stronger public reporting, tracking, and community engagement mechanisms.
Response:
This ECA includes enhanced requirements for complaint response, tracking, and communication, as well as provisions for ongoing engagement with the community.
Category 5: Regulatory Oversight and Accountability
Comments:
Some comments raised concerns about enforcement and requested the inclusion of penalties or additional oversight mechanisms.
Response:
Enforcement actions and penalties are beyond the scope of ECA conditions.
Category 6: Site Closure
Comments:
Some comments requested the immediate or expedited closure of the landfill site.
Response:
Closure planning is governed under the facility’s waste approvals and site plans and is outside the scope of this air and noise ECA.
Category 7: Effluent and Sewer Compliance
Comments:
Several comments expressed concern about potential odour or contamination from effluent discharges and requested assurance of compliance with the city sewer use by-law.
Response:
Effluent and sewer discharge requirements fall under separate municipal and waste-related approvals and are not within the scope of this air and noise ECA.
Category 8: Noise and Secondary Nuisances
Comments:
A few comments raised concerns regarding noise from landfill operations, including equipment and truck activity, and requested noise monitoring or restrictions during nighttime hours.
Response:
The acoustic assessment for the GFL Stoney Creek landfill and ancillary operations is currently deferred to allow a complete and detailed noise assessment of all landfill operations and all ancillary nighttime operations including all trucking operations. The acoustic assessment will be completed in 12 months. The final amended ECA issued in 12 months will likely include an acoustic audit requirement.
Supporting materials
View materials in person
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.
Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.
135 St. Clair Avenue West
Floor 1
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
How to Appeal
This instrument decision can be appealed. You have 15 days from November 10, 2025 to begin the appeal process.
Carefully review the information below to learn more about the appeal process.
How to appealClick to Expand Accordion
Start the process to appeal
If you’re an Ontario resident, you can start the process to appeal this instrument decision.
First, you’ll need to seek leave (i.e. get permission) from the relevant appellate body to appeal the decision.
If the appellate body grants leave, the appeal itself will follow.
Seek leave to appeal
To seek leave to appeal, you need to do these three things:
- prepare your application
- provide notice to the minister
- mail your application to three parties
1. Prepare your application
You’ll need to prepare an application. You may wish to include the following things in your application:
- A document that includes:
- your name, phone number, fax number (if any), and/or email address
- the ERO number and ministry reference number (located on this page)
- a statement about whether you are a resident in Ontario
- your interest in the decision, and any facts you want taken into account in deciding whether you have an interest in the decision
- the parts of the instrument that you’re challenging
- whether the decision could result in significant harm to the environment
- the reason(s) why you believe that no reasonable person – having regard to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind – could have made the decision
- the grounds (facts) you’ll be using to appeal
- the outcome you’d like to see
- A copy of the instrument (approval, permit, order) that you you are seeking leave to appeal. You’ll find this in the decision notice on the Environmental Registry
- Copies of all supporting documents, facts and evidence that you’ll be using to appeal
What is considered
The appeal body will consider the following two questions in deciding whether to grant you leave to appeal:
- is there is good reason to believe that no reasonable person, with respect to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind, could have made the decision?
- could the decision you wish to appeal result in significant harm to the environment?
2. Provide your notice
You’ll need to provide notice to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks that you’re seeking leave to appeal.
In your notice, please include a brief description of the:
- decision that you wish to appeal
- grounds for granting leave to appeal
You can provide notice by email at minister.mecp@ontario.ca or by mail at:
College Park 5th Floor, 777 Bay St.
Toronto, ON
M7A 2J3
3. Mail your application
You’ll need to mail your application that you prepared in step #1 to each of these three parties:
- appellate body
- issuing authority (the ministry official who issued the instrument)
- proponent (the company or individual to whom the instrument was issued)
GFL Environmental Services Inc.
65 Green Mountain Road West
Hamilton,
ON
L8J 1X5
Canada
Registrar, Ontario Land Tribunal
655 Bay Street, Suite 1500
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1E5
(416) 212-6349
(866) 448-2248
OLT.Registrar@ontario.ca
Include the following:
This is not legal advice. Please refer to the Environmental Bill of Rights for exact legal requirements. Consult a lawyer if you need help with the appeal process.
Connect with us
Contact
Client Services and Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Original proposal
Proposal details
This proposal is for a New Environmental Compliance Approval (air & noise) for GFL Environmental Services Inc., for the operation of a landfill, located in the community of Stoney Creek within the City of Hamilton, Ontario.
This application includes all emission sources from the facility that exhaust to the atmosphere including a leachate treatment plant carbon filter exhaust, on-site vehicle traffic, and solid non-hazardous waste receiving and processing. Contaminant emissions to the atmosphere include:
- nitrogen oxides
- ammonia
- particulate matter, and
- odour
Supporting materials
View materials in person
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.
Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.
135 St. Clair Avenue West
Floor 1
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Comment
Commenting is now closed.
This consultation was open from September 18, 2025
to November 2, 2025
Connect with us
Contact
Client Services and Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto,
ON
M4V 1P5
Canada
Comments received
Through the registry
19By email
8By mail
0