The Independent

The Canadian Environmental Law Association is concerned there may be no environmental oversight York1 Environmental’s plan to revive the Dresden dump.

The company’s plan for a construction waste and soil recycling facility and rebuilding an expanded landfill at the site between Dresden and Dawn-Euphemia became public in last year. York1 wanted to move the massive project through the Environmental Compliance Approval system which provides little public input.

The community rallied to get the province to force York1’s project through a full Environmental Assessment, a much longer process which requires more public input. April 17, the Ford Government reneged on the full EA saying the province needed more landfill space in the face of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The provincial proposal to drop the EA is open for comment on the Environment Registry of Ontario. CELA is representing the Dresden CARED group. In it’s submission CELA says there is “no compelling environmental rationale.

“The possibility of border closures that constrain Ontario waste exports has been omnipresent for decades, and speculation about what may (or may not) happen in the future does not provide a credible policy basis for exempting the Dresden landfill project,” the Environmental Law Association.

“It is beyond dispute that environmental assessment is not “red tape” that should be waived or dispensed with by the Ontario government for political or economic expediency,” the brief adds. “(It) is tailor-made to identify, evaluate, and mitigate or prevent the environmental risks associated with the Dresden landfill project.”

CELA says the province has stated there will be environmental oversight but officials point out the project is not subject to any federal environmental legislation.

“Exempting this project from the Environmental Assessment Act effectively means that it may not be subject to any environmental assessment requirements.”

The ERO is accepting comments on the proposal until Friday.