{"id":174764,"date":"2025-09-28T06:29:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T06:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/174764\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T06:29:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T06:29:24","slug":"town-killer-ontario-residents-fight-fords-fast-track-landfill-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/174764\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Town killer’: Ontario residents fight Ford\u2019s fast-track landfill project"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Ashley Khouathip left Toronto five years ago, she was looking for clean air for her five children, affordable housing and a slower pace of life. She wanted a place where kids could bike and fish in the river and neighbours looked out for each other.<\/p>\n

She found it in Dresden, Ont., a community of 2,401 people in Chatham-Kent about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Toronto. She opened a holistic wellness shop, joined local markets and settled into small-town life.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ Ashley Khouathip stands inside her holistic wellness shop in Dresden, Ont., which sits on a road that could soon carry hundreds of trucks daily to a revived landfill and expanded waste-processing hub less than a kilometre away. Photo by: Abdul Matin Sarfraz \/ Canada’s National Observer<\/p>\n

Now, her storefront sits on a road that could soon carry hundreds of trucks daily to a revived landfill and expanded waste-processing hub less than a kilometre away. \u201cAre we going to be walking around with masks? Smelling sulphur? Will the kids still be safe to ride their bikes?\u201d she asked. \u201cThis is the only road in and out. How do you stop a truck when a kid runs out?\u201d<\/p>\n

On her phone, she pulled up a photo of her children holding a freshly caught fish from the\u00a0East Sydenham River<\/a>. \u201cMy neighbour texted me this picture today \u2014 my kids are literally fishing right now, and just caught a fish, wow,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The project she fears is\u00a0a proposed 25-hectare landfill<\/a> and recycling facility by York1 Environmental Waste Solutions, that would be built on a site that held incinerator ash decades ago. The plan could see up to 6,000 tonnes of solid waste trucked in daily, mostly from the Greater Toronto Area.<\/p>\n

It’s the first landfill proposal in the province selected for fast-tracking under Premier Doug Ford’s\u00a0newly enacted Bill 5\u00a0<\/a>\u2014 which makes the project immune to many of the checks and balances it would otherwise face.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It’s the first landfill proposal in the province selected for fast-tracking under Premier Doug Ford’s\u00a0newly enacted Bill 5\u00a0\u2014 which makes the project immune to many of the checks and balances it would otherwise face.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

But it also could be the first major blow to the legislation: the federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada has confirmed to\u00a0Canada\u2019s National Observer it\u00a0received a request<\/a> from the Canadian Environmental Law Association to review the Dresden project. The agency has 90 days to decide whether to designate it under the Impact Assessment Act, with a decision expected by November 20.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A high risk site<\/p>\n

The site sits beside Molly\u2019s Creek, which drains into the\u00a0East Sydenham River<\/a> that runs through Dresden \u2014 and is\u00a0one of the most biodiverse watersheds in Canada<\/a>. It is home to more than 80 fish species, 34 species of mussels and at least 20 species listed as at risk.\u00a0Experts warn<\/a> it could threaten rare species, such as the salamander mussel, whose only Canadian population is found in east Sydenham.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ The site sits beside Molly\u2019s Creek, which drains into the\u00a0East Sydenham River that runs through Dresden \u2014 and is\u00a0one of the most biodiverse watersheds in Canada. Photo by : Abdul Matin Sarfraz\/ Canada’s National Observer<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the\u00a0Ford government exempted<\/a> the project from a full environmental assessment under its Bill 5 Special Economic Zones, arguing the move was needed to address the risk of US tariffs, since about 40 per cent of Ontario\u2019s business waste is currently sent across the border.<\/p>\n

The province says the project will still require environmental compliance approvals for air, noise, water and sewage. But the decision has triggered a wave of backlash. When Ontario consulted the public on removing the assessment,\u00a0more than 2,100 submissions were filed\u00a0<\/a>\u2014 only four supported the plan.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ The proposed 25-hectare landfill and recycling facility by York1 Environmental Waste Solutions would be built on a site that held incinerator ash decades ago. Photo by : Abdul Matin Sarfraz\/ Canada’s National Observer<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the province is expected to\u00a0generate 17 million tonnes<\/a> of waste annually by mid-century, with landfill capacity projected to run out by 2034. At that pace, Ontario would need 16 new or expanded landfills, but approvals for new sites can take more than a decade.<\/p>\n

Finding new sites is already difficult.\u00a0Bill 197<\/a>, passed by the Ford government, gave municipal councils the power to approve or reject landfill projects within 3.5 kilometres of their boundaries. While this empowers small towns, it does not apply to expansions of existing sites, such as Dresden\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Floodplain fears<\/p>\n

Just minutes from Khouathip\u2019s shop, Elaine Unsworth has lived in her farmhouse for 53 years. Her backyard stretches down to Molly\u2019s Creek, which floods every spring. The proposed landfill is less than a kilometre from her home.<\/p>\n

She worries contaminated floodwater could spread across her yard and seep into her backyard well. \u201cWe\u2019re used to water,\u201d she said, pointing to the brown lines on tree trunks left by receding floods. \u201cBut this is different. If runoff goes into the creek, it\u2019s on my grass, my trees, over my well. I cut acres of lawn \u2014 am I going to inhale contaminants every time I mow? What about my grandkids and pets walking through that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ Elaine Unsworth has lived in her farmhouse for 53 years. Her backyard stretches down to Molly\u2019s Creek, which floods every spring. The proposed landfill is less than a kilometre from her home. Photo by : Abdul Matin Sarfraz\/ Canada’s National Observer<\/p>\n

For Unsworth, the risks are not hypothetical.\u00a0In Hamilton\u2019s Stoney Creek neighbourhood<\/a>, residents have already endured foul odours and health problems tied to a nearby GFL landfill. Many say the smell makes it impossible to open windows or sit outside, and paramedic data shows 911 calls for respiratory distress have sharply increased.<\/p>\n

Air monitoring found sulphur pollution at levels more than 17 times Ontario\u2019s legal limit. In response, Hamilton city council launched an investigation into health impacts and is considering compensation for affected households.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ Downtown Dresden, a community of 2,401 people in Chatham-Kent, where residents are fighting a proposed landfill project. \u00a0Photo by : Abdul Matin Sarfraz\/ Canada’s National Observer<\/p>\n

Hamilton is a cautionary tale for Unsworth and her Dresden neighbours about what happens when oversight fails. Unsworth said removing the environmental assessment has left them without basic protection. \u201cWe pay our taxes, we\u2019ve built our lives here, and now our future is at risk. I just want clean water, clean air and to keep the home I\u2019ve loved for half a century,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u2018A town killer\u2019<\/p>\n

Dresden is surrounded by rich farmland<\/a> that produces tomatoes, corn and soybeans. The area supports both small family farms and large agribusiness. A ConAgra Foods cannery in town processes tomatoes for Aylmer ketchup. Farming, food processing and tourism form the backbone of the local economy.<\/p>\n

Long-time resident Brian Tearne, who lives about three kilometres from the site, warned the landfill project could undermine all of that, describing it as \u201ca town killer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ Long-time resident Brian Tearne calls the project a ‘town-killer.’ Photo by: Haq Dost\/ Canada’s National Observer<\/p>\n

He said contamination from the site could spread into irrigation water and fields, hurting crop yields and damaging Dresden\u2019s reputation for safe, high-quality food. That could ripple through the economy, threatening processing jobs and local farms. \u201cIf you can\u2019t trust the soil or the water, what happens to the cannery, to the farms, to everything that depends on them?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Chatham-Kent already hosts one of Ontario\u2019s\u00a0largest private landfills<\/a>, which takes commercial and industrial waste from across the province, mainly Toronto. Tearne said adding another facility in the middle of a floodplain town shows \u201cdisregard for the community\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advocates say the risks are even broader. Rebecca Kolarich, program manager for water at Environmental Defence, said when rainwater mixes with decomposing garbage in landfills it forms a toxic liquid known as leachate that is \u201cextremely toxic to aquatic species, as well as animals that consume those species.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leachate can carry heavy metals, bacteria and other harmful substances into soil and groundwater, eventually seeping into rivers and affecting fish growth, reproduction and survival, she added.<\/p>\n

Kolarich said nearby residents who rely on private wells could see their drinking water contaminated if leachate enters the groundwater. Farmers could also face polluted irrigation water, exposing crops and soils to toxins.\u00a0 \u201cEverything is connected,\u201d she said. \u201cIf the water is contaminated, then so are the crops that depend on it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Community turns to Ottawa<\/p>\n

The Chatham-Kent council has formally opposed the project and urged Ontario\u2019s environment minister to reject it. Meanwhile, residents formed Dresden CARED (Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal) to lead the fight.<\/p>\n

\"Made <\/a> <\/p>\n

Chair Stefan Premdas said the Ford government\u2019s decision to remove the provincial environmental assessment forced the group to seek help from Ottawa. \u201cWe are already taking more than our share of Ontario\u2019s garbage,\u201d he said. \u201cPutting a new project within metres of homes and schools ignores basic safety rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to provincial data and a map prepared by\u00a0Canada\u2019s National Observer,\u00a0more than 600 landfills<\/a> are currently open across Ontario. Communities are pushing back against both new sites and incinerators over health and environmental concerns, while municipalities struggle to handle growing garbage volumes.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/ Soybean fields stretch across Dresden\u2019s farmland, about a kilometre from the proposed landfill. Farming is central to the town\u2019s identity and economy. \u00a0Photo by : Abdul Matin Sarfraz\/ Canada’s National Observer<\/p>\n

Experts say weak recycling policies have made the problem worse. The Ford government has moved to\u00a0roll back the Blue Box program<\/a> and\u00a0cancelled<\/a> a deposit-return system for drink containers.<\/p>\n

The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority says Ontario diverted just 53 per cent of recyclables from landfills in 2021, the most recent data available.<\/p>\n

Canada’s National Observer\u00a0reached out to both the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and York1 Environmental Waste Solutions but did not receive comment in time for publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Ashley Khouathip left Toronto five years ago, she was looking for clean air for her five children,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":174765,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-174764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}