Chatham-Kent's council is allocating funds to continue the fight against a proposed landfill next to Dresden.
They met on Monday and approved a budget of $50,000 for the municipality's administration to use on various methods to stop the project. This includes paying for legal services and starting an advocacy campaign.
Dave Taylor, CK's Director of Legal Services, said this funding will most likely only be a start.
"We're going to be coming back and asking for more money," he said.
Taylor explained they'll need more funding since the Ontario government recently tabled legislation that would remove environmental assessment (EA) requirements for the project. This would ultimately get rid of one of the last hurdles the landfill was facing.
The EA requirements were something the municipality previously advocated for. In February 2024, CK's council directed staff to make submissions to the province to require a full EA. This was approved by the Minister of the Environment later in the year, giving the municipality what they called a "major victory."
Around $35,000 had been spent by the municipality during this time, mainly for legal and engineering services.
The provincial government claims it's removing the EA requirements since there's an additional need for waste capacity due to the threat of U.S. tariffs impacting the waste sector.
Several residents spoke at Monday's meeting against the landfill. This included Mike Yankovitch who personally called out the provincial government's decision.
"The Ontario government gave us the perception that they had bought our votes for the EA and then pulled the plug after they had won the election. We feel horribly betrayed," he said.
The municipality plans on holding an information session in Dresden on May 5, 2025, where residents can share their concerns and learn more about ideas and strategies being deployed. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at the Ken Houston Memorial Agricultural Centre at 1212 North Street in Dresden.
Michael Duben, CK's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), said there's a chance that Walpole Island First Nation leadership will be in attendance as they share the same concerns as the municipality.
