Oxford municipalities unite to defend their right to reject new landfill proposals

Lee Griffi, Editor

As the Ontario Government considers changes to provincial legislation for new landfills, Oxford’s municipalities are asking for a commitment to maintain existing the “right to approve” for all municipalities.

Oxford County, with its local municipalities, has been working to fulfill Strategic Plan commitments to reducing waste, maximizing resource recovery, and promoting a circular economy.

“We are in agreement. Ontario should continue to explore waste management alternatives and revisit the strategy for a waste-free Ontario,” said the statement, signed by all current mayors and mayors-elect.

It added that when it comes to Ontario’s Proposed Actions to Address Landfill Capacity, now undergoing public consultation through the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO), all mayors and mayors-elect share a conviction that municipalities must maintain their right to approve future landfills in their communities.

The statement went on to say the message was unequivocally delivered by 150 municipalities in 2018, led by the Town of Ingersoll in Oxford County as part of the We Demand the Right campaign. Bill 197 in 2020 subsequently provided municipalities with the right to approve or deny new landfills within their own communities and if the landfill is sited within 3.5 kilometres of an adjacent municipality.

“We commend Minister Todd McCarthy for his public statement that municipalities will retain the ability to decide whether to accept a landfill in their communities. Maintaining this in legislation will continue to give Ontario’s municipal governments and citizens the ability to engage with landfill proponents, and to ensure their needs are respected and addressed,” the statement said.

The mayors added this right does nothing to diminish a proponent’s ability to develop a fair proposal that fully considers the social, economic and environmental impacts of its operations. Amending section 17.5 of the Environmental Assessment Act, would leave municipalities without leverage or meaningful voice at the table, with little to no opportunity to negotiate the necessary terms to safeguard their communities.

“We are committed to protecting the same rights for municipalities for landfill development as those afforded to other projects that have high local impact, such as nuclear waste storage and renewable energy. This is the only way to achieve the best possible outcome for all involved.”

The statement added the issue is too important to Oxford County and all of Ontario for ambiguity: the right to approve must be protected.

“Oxford County municipalities will continue to collaborate with the province on this important issue. We will be working to raise awareness of the impacts of this potential legislative change and encourage the residents of Oxford and beyond to share their thoughts through the ERO process at https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/026-1056.”

The provincial government is proposing to amend the Environmental Assessment Act to remove the requirement for municipal support before a proponent can submit a comprehensive environmental assessment for a new large landfill.

Under the existing rules, established through Bill 197 in 2020, a new landfill proponent must obtain support from the municipality in which the landfill would be located and an adjacent municipality if the proposed site is within 3.5 kilometres of lands with authorized residential uses in that municipality.

The province wants to remove that requirement as it is running out of landfill capacity. Only one large new landfill has been approved in the last 20 years and approximately 25 per cent of Ontario's waste is shipped to the United States.

McCarthy has suggested Ontario's landfill capacity could be exhausted within 10 years. He has also warned that U.S. tariffs on Canadian waste could accelerate the problem.