Call for Chatham-Kent officials to clear the air over proposed landfill project

A proposed landfill project less than a kilometer from Dresden may be in a holding pattern while waiting for an environmental assessment to proceed, but people want answers following media reports about Chatham-Kent’s knowledge of the project.

Article content

Recent reporting by The Independent newspaper on emails between York1 Environmental Waste Solutions and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, shows council members and municipal officials met with the company dating back to October 2019 and had multiple meetings to discuss the controversial project.

The community has been vehemently opposed to an application by York1 to create an eight-hectare (20-acre) landfill with 1.62 million cubic meters of waste capacity on a 35-hectare (86-acre) site with a maximum fill rate of 365,000 tonnes a year, an average of 1,000 tonnes daily. The company also proposes to develop a regenerative recycling facility at the same Irish School Road site, about 800 meters from Dresden to accept up to 6,000 tonnes daily of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste and 30,000 tonnes of unprocessed soils.

Article content

Another concern is the traffic impact from hundreds of trucks since the company’s plans to operate the facility 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week.

Although Chatham-Kent has publicly stated its opposition to York1’s proposal and repeated that in filings to the Environmental Registry of Ontario, there are calls for municipal officials to hold a town hall meeting to clear the air and discuss what it currently is doing to keep this project from coming to Dresden.

John Lamers, whose son and grandchildren live in a home he owns on Irish School Road that is only separated from the York1 property by a small drainage ditch, wants assurances the municipality “isn’t in bed with York1.”

He also wants to make sure Chatham-Kent will use the veto power under Bill 197 that allows municipalities to veto new landfills planned within 3.5 kilometers of a municipality.

Article content

The municipality has stated it previously received information the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks is interpreting York1’s proposal as an expansion or a continuation of an existing landfill.

Lamers believes it is time for “Chatham-Kent to put its foot down” and use the veto power of Bill 197.

Kevin Jakubec, an activist involved in water wells damaged after a wind farm was erected in North Kent, said, “Wouldn’t it be good community relations for (municipal officials) to step in and say exactly what they’re doing?”

He said there’s a public meeting scheduled for a chicken bylaw and the municipality hasn’t held its own public meeting to talk about what it is doing regarding this landfill, which could have a tremendous impact on property values.

Article content

Stefan Premdas, chair of Dresden CARED (Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal), said the volunteer organization asked Chatham-Kent to hold a town hall meeting when the scope of York1’s project first came to light earlier this year.

He said volunteers with the community group have led the charge to find and reveal a lot of relevant information about York1’s proposal, which it has shared at two community meetings in Dresden.

North Kent Coun. Rhonda Jubenville said she would support Chatham-Kent holding a town hall meeting to clear the air.

“I’m all about transparency, so the more transparent we can be with our residents and taxpayers, the better,” she said.

Jubenville believes open communication helps dispel any misconceptions or public perception of secrecy.

Article content

She pointed to a council meeting held at the John D. Bradley Center on May 27 to hear deputations on the proposed Dresden landfill from residents among other issues that were discussed.

However, the meeting didn’t have the large turnout municipal officials were expecting.

Premdas said unless people were watching the May 27 meeting on live stream or TV “it really did not have the same impact as the meetings we’ve held.”

Fellow North Kent Coun. Jamie McGrail wants residents to “look at the facts, look at what’s been done from the community and surrounding municipalities and how we’ve worked together to accomplish what we have so far” referring to convincing the environment ministry to require York1’s project undergo a comprehensive environmental assessment.

Article content

“We need to stick together on this issue,” she said. “We have to continue to work together.”

Jubenville, a first term councillor, only learned about the York1 proposal shortly after stepping on to council in November 2022.

She doesn’t believe there was much known about the proposal before she came on council.

Mayor Darrin Canniff was not available for comment.

However, Canniff acknowledged meeting with York1 officials before they even bought the Dresden property, when Jubenville raised the issue at the Sept. 9 council meeting.

“Our full expectation is they’re going to call us and keep us informed,” he said, of discussions with York1.

Canniff said he found out the extent of York1’s plans through information the company was distributing to the neighbors.

Article content

“We were caught off guard completely with what they were planning on doing,” the mayor said.

Canniff said municipal officials “meet with a lot of businesses and individuals and talk about their plans.”

He said the municipality is there to listen, but “until that is an actual project it doesn’t come to council.”

Chatham-Kent chief administrator Michael Duben said during the meeting, “I can assure you when staff meets with any perspective businesses. . . we always tell them what the process is going to be and who they need to speak to when the time comes for that matter to actually go ahead.”

Noting he’s been CAO for two years, Duben said he has yet to meet anyone from York1.

Meanwhile both Lamers and Dresden CARED are facing costs to fight the York1 proposal. They both cited statements by Canniff about unlimited money being available.

Article content

During an April meeting hosted by the CARED group, Canniff said there is no specific budget to deal with the issue, but added there is no spending cap.

Premdas said there has been no motion brought to council so far, regarding funding to fight York1.

“The community has been asking, ‘When will this happen?’” he added.

Citing mistrust for both the municipality and environment ministry, Lamers said, “That’s why I’ve got my own lawyer to protect me and my property.”

Jakubec said the municipality should also be looking at potential financial impacts if York1’s project does go through, such as the loss of property value due to environmental stigma and damage to roads.

Putting money in the municipal budget “would tell people they’re in the fight,” he added.

Article content

Premdas and Jakubec both point to $100,000 provided annually from municipal coffers for the nearly decade-long fight involving the citizen group Oxford People Against the Landfill to keep a landfill from opening in the Township of Zorra.

Jubenville said she would support providing funding for Dresden CARED to serve as a watchdog for the community on this project.

The citizen group has sold everything from buttons to signs and held various other fundraisers in an effort to raise money to cover the cost of experts to help in the fight against York1.

While some municipal funding would help, Premdas said, “As a community, we’re not waiting for a Messiah.”

[email protected]

Article content