York1 is hosting their second community meeting in tonight, Friday, March 1, 2024, in regards to their proposed waste facility expansion project just outside of Dresden.
The meeting will have a 300-person capacity, with admission on a first-come, first served basis, and is being held at the Ken Houston Memorial Agricultural Centre, 1212 North Street.
The begin is set to begin at 6 p.m.
At a meeting back on February 10, 2024, George Kirchmair, the vice president of environmental services at York1, provided a presentation at the meeting and answered the questions from those in attendance.
“This is a voluntary community engagement,” he told the crowd of approximately 100 people at The Wheelhouse in downtown Dresden.
“We’re not in a process yet of public consultation through the process that prescribes it, but we’re very happy to hold this event and the next event and future events to ensure we engage the town of Dresden.”
The questions at the first meeting focused primarily on materials they’d be accepting, water, air and other environmental concerns, traffic the project would cause, additional land uses and future plans, among others.
Several residents picketed outside The Wheelhouse during the first meeting, displaying signs with wording such as “Don’t Dump on Dresden” and “York1: The Grinch That Stolen Christmas Town.”
Leading up to the first meeting, York1 officials said their Regenerative Recycling Facilities (RRFs) are meticulously designed and operated to ensure minimal impact on local residents and the surrounding environment.
“Our plans call for the full remediation of the existing facility along Irish School Road, including the introduction of engineered cells to house all existing landfill,” York1 officials said.
“The facility will be primarily focused on construction materials and will not accept hazardous materials. Stringent measures, including advanced technologies and strict adherence to regulations, will mitigate any concerns around odours and contaminations.”
York1 officials added: “York1 is committed to building a long-lasting presence in Chatham-Kent. Not only will our new facility generate employment opportunities, it also affords us an opportunity to actively engage with the community through educational programs and outreach efforts, as well as community partnerships, local events, and charitable contributions.”
Meanwhile, Municipality of Chatham-Kent Council has publicly opposed the project.
Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff spoke passionately at Monday’s, February 26, 2024 Council meeting when expressing his frustration.
“I’m really pissed off about this,” Mayor Canniff said at Monday’s Council meeting.
“(York1 has) done nothing. There are significant environmental issues, transportation issues, the location is one kilometre from Dresden. We find out about it through a filing through the Province. On top of all that, they don’t offer up so much as 10 cents of community benefits.”
Mayor Canniff added: “The nerve they have coming into our community to do that. That’s why we’re doing this tonight and that’s why it has been expedited… there has been zero communication, they’re trying to shove this down our throats and it’s very frustrating. They are not treating us as partners at all in this, zero, zip, zilch as far as partnership. This is making a solid statement to them, that you’ve got to talk to us, there are so many issues. In the town of Dresden and the surrounding area, I’ve yet to find a single person that says yeah I think I’d even consider it… based on how they’ve come in and treated Dresden and the surrounding area and Chatham-Kent with disrespect, I don’t blame a single person for not supporting it.”
Ryan Jacques, director of planning for the Municipality, said the proposals submitted for the waste storage, transfer and processing project, located on Irish School Road just outside of Dresden, would increase the size of the landfill from 0.8 hectares to 25 hectares.
Jacques added the daily waste rate is being proposed to increase from 75 tonnes to 6,000 tonnes and they are requesting operations to be allowed around the clock, seven days a week.
After the presentation, Councillor McGrail entered a successful motion, which was unanimously supported by Council.
“The proposed facility is in close proximity to Dresden, and has the potential for serious impacts to Dresden, nearby properties, natural features, infrastructure and the environment,” McGrail said in her motion.
“Given the scale and nature of this proposal, the significant municipal concern for community, environment and infrastructure impacts, Chatham-Kent Council is opposed in principle to the application, and calls on the Province to reject the applications for a waste processing, storage and transfer and landfilling facility currently open for public comments.”
Also in her motion, McGrail said if the Province is not prepared to reject the application, “Chatham-Kent Council calls on the Minister to designate the project for a full (environmental assessment) process to remove any doubt that the EA study process is required for the application,” she said.
McGrail’s motion also requested that the Mayor write a letter to the Minster of Environment, Conservation and Parks outlining the community concerns and Council’s opposition to these proposals.
The motion also authorized and directed administration to retain technical experts that may be required to “advance concerns” through the Ministry consultation process.
Lastly, McGrail’s motion directed administration to make submissions to the Province by the March 16, 2024, deadline.
More details about York1’s application are posted on the Province’s website, here: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-8205
Anyone can submit online comments directly to the Province through this website by March 16, 2024.
We’ll provide more details when they become available.
