The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is urging residents who received provincial notices to respond to an environmental application from York1 Environmental Waste Solutions Ltd. that would place two waste operations at 29831 Irish School Road in Dresden.
What’s being proposed
According to the notices issued by York1 to potentially affected parties, the company has filed applications with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for:
- a waste transfer and processing facility that would receive, transfer, sort and process non-hazardous waste, including construction and demolition debris, wood waste and soils; and
- an associated landfill of about eight hectares, intended for non-hazardous solid waste — primarily construction and demolition material and excess soils that cannot be beneficially reused.
Proposed capacity and municipal response
The notice sets out maximum receiving rates for the two proposed operations. The transfer and processing facility would be permitted to accept up to 3,000 tonnes per day. The separate landfill application proposes a maximum receiving rate of 1,000 tonnes per day, or 365,000 tonnes annually.
| Operation | Proposed maximum |
|---|---|
| Waste transfer & processing | 3,000 tonnes/day |
| Landfill (8 hectares) | 1,000 tonnes/day (365,000 tonnes/year) |
Chatham-Kent council has taken a firm stance on the application. The municipality says it has received copies of the notices and understands other local residents, including adjacent property owners and tenants, will also have received them. Council remains unanimously opposed to the York1 proposal and says it will continue to advocate for the Dresden community through the relevant provincial regulatory processes.
"Residents who receive a notice are strongly encouraged to participate in the provincial process and submit their own comments and concerns."
Steps the municipality is taking
To prepare formal submissions to the Province, Chatham-Kent has retained an independent expert to review information related to the proposed project. The municipality says that review will help ensure any concerns it raises with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks are supported by appropriate technical expertise and evidence.
The notices from York1 instruct recipients that comments must be submitted within 15 days of receipt. The Province has provided an email for submissions: wasteproposalcomments@ontario.ca, addressed to Neryed Ragbar, the director appointed for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Environmental Protection Act.
Why this matters to Chatham residents
The proposed facilities would concentrate significant daily volumes of construction and demolition materials and soils near a community within Chatham-Kent. Potential impacts cited in municipal opposition and commonly raised in similar applications include traffic and haul-route pressure, dust and odour concerns, effects on property values and the adequacy of local road and infrastructure to safely accommodate heavy vehicles. By retaining independent technical review, the municipality aims to test whether the York1 applications adequately address those and other environmental and community impacts.
Residents who receive a notice should carefully review it and consider submitting their own comments directly to the Province within the 15‑day window. The municipality says individual submissions are an important part of the provincial review process and can influence how the application is assessed and whether conditions are imposed or approvals granted.
