The president of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) has decided that a proposed waste and recycling facility in Dresden, Ontario, will not undergo a federal impact assessment.
York1 Environmental Waste Solutions Ltd. is proposing to construct and operate a waste disposal and regenerative recycling facility that would include the alteration of an existing landfill capable of holding up to 1.62 million cubic metres of non-hazardous solid construction and demolition waste within an eight-hectare footprint. The project also includes expanding an existing waste transfer station from 0.8 hectares to 25 hectares, allowing it to accept up to 3,000 tonnes of recyclable materials and 1,000 tonnes of non-hazardous waste per day.
After reviewing the proposal under section 9 of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), IAAC President Terence Hubbard determined that the project does not need to be designated for a federal impact assessment.
“I have decided not to designate the project pursuant to section 9 of the IAA,” Hubbard said in his official response. “In making my decision, I considered whether the carrying out of the project may cause adverse effects within federal jurisdiction or direct or incidental adverse effects and concluded that the project may cause these adverse effects.”
Hubbard said he also considered public concerns, potential adverse impacts on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and whether other mechanisms already exist to address possible environmental and jurisdictional effects.
“The requirements under applicable federal and provincial mechanisms, some of which include consultation with Indigenous communities and public engagement, provide a framework for addressing public concerns,” he said.
According to IAAC, these mechanisms include federal legislation such as the Fisheries Act, Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, and Species at Risk Act, as well as several Ontario laws including the Environmental Protection Act, Ontario Water Resources Act, Clean Water Act, 2006, Conservation Authorities Act, and Ontario Heritage Act.
Hubbard concluded that these existing frameworks are sufficient to manage and mitigate the potential adverse effects that could arise from the Dresden Waste and Recycling Facility Project, making a federal impact assessment unnecessary.
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