The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has provided additional information to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) as part of its ongoing request for a federal review of the proposed Dresden Waste and Recycling Facility.
The IAAC recently asked the Municipality for more details about how Ontario’s planning process would review potential environmental and Indigenous impacts of the project. In its response, submitted through external legal counsel, Chatham-Kent explained that the project would require several municipal planning approvals under Ontario’s Planning Act, including amendments to zoning and the Official Plan.
The Municipality stated that these provincial processes do not provide a full or adequate review of potential impacts on the environment or Indigenous rights, and reiterated its support for a federal Impact Assessment under the Impact Assessment Act.
“Our residents and impacted Indigenous nations have raised serious concerns about the potential environmental and community impacts of this proposal,” said Mayor Darrin Canniff. “We believe the federal review process is the right step to ensure those concerns are properly addressed and that the community has a transparent and fair say in this matter. Our role is to make sure the facts are clear and that the community’s interests are protected.”
In its submission, Chatham-Kent also addressed what it described as inaccuracies in materials submitted by the project’s proponent, York1. The Municipality said York1’s submission to the IAAC incorrectly suggested that Chatham-Kent supports the proposal and that Indigenous nations have not raised concerns.
Chatham-Kent clarified that municipal council formally opposed the project in February 2024 and continues to hold that position. The Municipality said no meaningful consultation has taken place between York1 and Chatham-Kent, noting that York1 has not contacted the Municipality since submitting its proposal to the Province.
The response also emphasized that several Indigenous communities, including Walpole Island First Nation and the Delaware Nation Council (Moravian of the Thames), have publicly expressed concerns about the project’s potential impacts.
Chatham-Kent has asked the federal government to designate the proposed facility for review under section 9(1) of the Impact Assessment Act to ensure that potential environmental and Indigenous impacts are carefully and independently assessed.
More details, here.
