To help provide clarity on a proposed recycling and landfill project near Dresden, as well as fight potential misinformation, Chatham-Kent councilors have tasked staff to see what can be done to engage the public from a municipal perspective.
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North Kent Coun. Rhonda Jubenville raised the matter during the communication items portion of Monday’s meeting, asking what dealings Toronto-area company York 1 Environmental Waste Solutions had with Chatham-Kent officials in recent years.
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Bruce McAllister, general manager of community development, said there were “high level” discussions in 2022, but no further details, nor any presentations to council.
Last week, Mayor Darrin Canniff and council sent a letter to Environment Minister Andrea Khanjin, asking that York1’s project be rejected or at least face the closer scrutiny of a full environmental assessment.
McAllister added that Chatham-Kent is currently preparing its submissions to the province concerning the project, with a staff report to council expected in April.
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York1 plans to amend existing provincial permits on the 35-hectare (86-acre) site of a dormant waste disposal facility at 29831 Irish School Rd. (formerly Highway 21) to include a regenerative recycling facility to accept up to 6,000 tonnes a day of non-hazardous solid waste, including construction and demolition waste and excess soil, for beneficial reuse.
The company also has a second application to amend the landfill permit to create an eight hectare (20 acre) landfill with a maximum fill rate of 365,000 tonnes a year, an average of 1,000 tonnes a day.
On Friday, hundreds of residents attended an open house in Dresden to meet with York1 officials.
North Kent Coun. Jamie McGrail urged the public to continue to provide feedback.
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“We all need to make sure that we’re heard,” she said.
Wallaceburg Coun. Aaron Hall suggested that an online Let’s Talk Chatham-Kent page be created to engage residents, given the ongoing flow of information that’s expected in the coming months.
Chief administrator Michael Duben said it was possible, but endorsed that it’s the proponent’s project, not the municipality’s.
“What we can do is comment on what we do know,” he said. “Soon we’ll be in a position where we have our submissions to the province. That can also be (online).”
In a previous interview, George Kirchmair, a York1 vice-president, said the company hasn’t had an opportunity to make submission to council.
“We haven’t been asked to make a submission to council, but we certainly have talked to the mayor and we’ve talked with councilors and we’ve talked to staff,” he added.
Discussions early on “definitely did not have any of the design parameters,” but there were discussions about seeking a host community agreement, he said.
“We talked about the landfill and we also subsequently talked about our plans to make it a multi-use, multi-purpose waste management facility,” he added.
– With Ellwood Shreve files
This story will be updated.
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