First Nation chief downstream of proposed rural Ontario dump calls out province

Bob Becken · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 12:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

The combat implicit a projected agrarian southwestern Ontario landfill is backmost successful the spotlight, and it's reached the highest levels of provincial authorities this week.

Last summer, Dresden-area residents successful Chatham-Kent thought they had scored a win. The Conservative authorities said immoderate determination to reopen a long-dormant landfill tract would necessitate a afloat biology assessment. 

But that whitethorn beryllium changing.

In April, the state introduced Bill 5 — the Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act. It includes connection that would fast-track the project.

That concerns Walpole Island First Nation Chief Leela Thomas, who calls the projected measure "devastating."

The reserve is downstream from the dump on the Sydenham River. The spot besides lies wrong the accepted territory of the Anishinabek people.

"It seems similar our voices don't matter, particularly erstwhile it comes to biology issues and our relation arsenic stewards of the land," Thomas said. 

"It's not a large inquire due to the fact that we're protecting people. We're protecting the land. We're protecting environment. We're protecting the livelihood of not lone First Nations people, but everyone."

Thomas says their law rights are being ignored.

"That, to me, is [environmental] racism."

Thomas says it seems similar mediocre readying connected the province's behalf, erstwhile it comes to landfill capacity.

"They knew that determination was going to beryllium issues with landfills successful the province, and present that there are ... with the tariffs they're utilizing that arsenic a guise to propulsion these landfills through."

Human rights advocacy group Amnesty International says the province's alteration of people connected Bill 5 threatens Indigenous rights and erodes biology protections. 

"The instauration of peculiar economical zones wherever captious provincial laws, including those protecting endangered species, cleanable water, and consultation with Indigenous nations, whitethorn beryllium suspended to fast-track development," said Ketty Nivyabandi, caput wide with Amnesty International Canada.

"We cannot physique up Ontario by bulldozing down the rights of Indigenous nations and the earthy situation we each beryllium connected and share."

Capacity issues and Trump cited by premier

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his authorities is committed to expanding the landfill tract due to the fact that of capableness issues and existent U.S.-Canada relations.

"We're relying connected the U.S. again," Ford said to reporters Tuesday.

"Here we spell again. Forty per cent of each the garbage goes down to the U.S. It takes 1 telephone telephone from President Trump to … chopped america off, and past what bash we do? We person to prepare, beryllium prepared."

Ford says the existing tract needs to beryllium expanded.

"I'm not going to trust connected President Trump immoderate longer. We person to beryllium liable for our ain garbage. We're gonna proceed gathering capableness connected that. I accidental we're gonna unopen disconnected the electricity. He says we're gonna unopen disconnected your garbage."

In a connection to CBC News, the state said the task would inactive acquisition "extensive biology processes" and stay taxable to "strong provincial oversight."

'Give maine a break'

Opposition person Marit Stiles of the NDP says the Dresden landfill was thing the Ontario Conservatives ne'er really meant to prevent.

"Give maine a interruption here," she said Tuesday portion speaking astatine Queen's Park. 

"We've seen it again and again. The authorities that they've introduced creates much and much opportunities for the authorities to marque Greenbelt-style corrupt deals to payment landowners and large corporations and developers, and I deliberation that's what we're going to proceed to spot here."

Recently, Kingston MPP Ted Hsu asked Ontario's integrity commissioner to probe an alleged connection between Premier Ford, 2 of his furniture members, and a erstwhile curate to the projected Chatham-Kent landfill.

Stiles says she's unsure if the ailment volition conscionable the standards of an investigation.

"Unfortunately, the integrity commissioner has a precise constrictive scope."

Stiles believes the integrity commissioner would similar the ailment to beryllium broadened.

"But … conscionable due to the fact that it doesn't walk … that odor test, doesn't mean that it's right. The premier promised helium wasn't going to fto that landfill happen. He broke his committedness to radical successful Dresden."

What's astatine risk

The task tract is adjacent to a creek and stream — a captious spawning crushed and location to much than 80 endangered species, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. 

Thomas says determination are a batch of unknowns without having rigorous biology and wellness assessments — and not conscionable for her Anishinabek people, but the surrounding communities arsenic well.

"There's going to beryllium operation and demolition debris that's going to person asbestos that's going to beryllium leaked into the drinking water," said Walpole Island's chief.

"That stream comes down to our communities."