An Overview of the Contested Project:

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YORK1, a waste management company headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, purchased the property at 29831 Irish School Road through a private sale on December 15, 2022. The 87.8-acre site was formerly home to a tile yard and a dormant fly ash landfill. It is located less than 1 km from the Dresden town boundary and just approximately 700 meters from the local high school, positioned between Dresden and the Chatham-Kent border with Lambton County.

In addition, YORK1—through a separate company—acquired two nearby farm properties:

• October 20, 2023: A 95.4-acre farm to the south of 29831 Irish School Road.
   
• October 26, 2023: A 47.9-acre farm to the north of the main site.
   

(See map: Red indicates 29831 Irish School Road; yellow indicates the two additional properties. Image source: Ryan Jacques’ presentation to CK Council, February 26, 2024.)

According to its website, YORK1 plans to develop a "Regenerative Recycling Facility" for construction waste, including hazardous materials like asbestos and silica dust. As of March 8, 2024, the company has also announced its intention to reopen the former fly ash landfill under two existing Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECAs): 

According to provincial records, Whitestone Fields Ltd. was created on January 13, 2025.  The property at 29831 Irish School Road, that was owned by York1, was sold to Whitestone Fields in February 2025.  The directors of York1 are the same as Whitestone Fields.

1. Waste Storage, Transfer, and Processing – ECA No. A020401
    
   • Issued under the Environmental Protection Act, 1990 (October 9, 1998)
      
   • Permitted activities: Storage, transfer, and processing of non-hazardous solid waste from industrial, commercial, institutional, and municipal sources.
      
   • Site Limitations: 2 acres in use; max 75 tonnes/day received and stored.
      
   • Hours of Operation: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM, Monday to Saturday.
      

1. Waste Disposal Site (Landfill) – ECA No. A021304
    
   • Issued under the Environmental Protection Act, 1971 (November 20, 1980)
      
   • Permitted use: An 8-hectare (20-acre) landfill within a 35-hectare site.
      
   • Waste breakdown: 5% commercial waste, 95% incinerator ash.
      

Application 1: Amendment to ECA A020401 (Waste Storage, Transfer & Processing Site)

• Confirmed by MECP; Municipality notified on January 29, 2024.
   
• Proposed Changes:
   
  • Expand site size from 0.8 ha to 25 ha.
     
  • Increase daily intake from 75 to 6,000 tonnes.
     
  • Accept 3,000 tonnes of construction waste and 3,000 tonnes of soil daily, with 1,000 tonnes for off-site disposal.
     
  • Allow indoor storage of 1,800 tonnes and outdoor storage of 3,000 tonnes of materials.
     
  • Permit outdoor storage of 30,000 tonnes of unprocessed soils.
     
  • Add new waste types: blue box recyclables, organic material, asbestos, tires, contaminated soil, and other soil-like materials.
     
  • Allow 24/7 operations.
     
  • Install new buildings and equipment for expanded uses.
     

Application 2: Amendment to ECA A021304 (Waste Disposal Site – Landfill)

• Confirmed by MECP; Municipality notified on February 26, 2024.
   
• Proposed Changes:
   
  • Increase waste capacity to 1,620,000 m³.
     
  • Maintain fill limit at 8 hectares (20 acres).
     
  • Allow a fill rate of up to 365,000 tonnes per year (approx. 1,000 tonnes/day).
     
  • Accept additional non-hazardous waste types including industrial, commercial, institutional, and demolition/construction waste, as well as contaminated soils.
     
  • Operating hours: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM, 7 days a week.
     

• Application: MECP proposing to remove EA requirements for the York1 waste disposal site project through the proposed Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025

Proposed Legislation:

• To help provide additional waste capacity in Ontario due to the threat of US tariffs impacting Ontario’s waste sector, the province is proposing to remove environmental assessment (EA) requirements for the York1 waste project through the proposed Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025.
• This would include revoking Ontario Regulation 284/24 designating Chatham-Kent Waste Disposal Site and removing environmental assessment (EA) requirements for York1 Environmental Waste Solutions Ltd.’s proposal to resume landfill operations and expand waste handling, processing, and transfer operations at the former Dresden Tile Yard, in Chatham-Kent (the Project).

The proposed legislation, if passed, would:

• Revoke Ontario Regulation 284/24: Designation - Chatham-Kent Waste Disposal Site, which designates the Project as a Part II.3 project requiring a comprehensive environmental assessment; and
• Amend the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) to exempt the Project from other EA requirements.
• The project will remain subject to strong provincial oversight and other regulatory requirements including Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECA) under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) and Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA). 

Permitting requirements for the project

• There are existing ECAs under the EPA for the site, which allow for an 8-hectare landfilling area and for a 0.8-hectare waste processing site within the 35-hectare property.
• Modifications to the waste disposal site will be subject to ECA requirements for air, noise emissions, waste management activities and sewage works under the EPA and OWRA for the landfill site, as well as the processing and transfer facility.

Timelines

If the legislation is passed, it would come into effect on Royal Assent. 

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has put together a "Let's Talk Page" Press the button below to view a great overview of everything thus far.