Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner recently joined the chorus of voices opposed to the York1 Dresden landfill.
The long-time environmental advocate made the commitment during a visit to the Dresden Legion where he spoke with farmers, members of Dresden C.A.R.E.D and other community leaders, urging the provincial government to repeal or "kill" Bill 5.
Schreiner called the controversial bill – which removes the environmental assessment from the Dresden project and greenlight others – one the scariest pieces of legislation he's ever seen.
"I'm deeply concerned that the government can declare special economic zones anywhere in Ontario they want to," Schreiner told the gathering, noting the creation of such zones could contravene a host of environmental protections.
"I've never seen anything so undemocratic be proposed in Ontario, or even across Canada," he said of Bill 5. "This is not what local democracy is supposed to look like. There's nothing there to prevent the premier from declaring Dresden as a special economic zone in order to proceed regardless of what local and provincial laws say," he warned, noting Bill 5 must be undone.
"I want you to know that I am committed to working with you, and parties in the opposition have agreed to stand up for Dresden. We're all committed to working together, to stand up for what's right, to stand up and say that if you're a deep-pocketed donor, you shouldn't get special treatment."
The fight against the York1 Dresden dump/regenerative recycling facility proposal is entering its 17th month. Since the project was revealed, momentum against it has been building. In June, the Ontario government passed Bill 5, which notably removed the EA for the Dresden project located just steps from a waterway and one kilometre from the town's high school.
In his comments, Schreiner repeatedly stressed that better policies need to be in place to regarding landfills with existing permits, emphasizing there are hundreds of these in Ontario.
He also took issue with the fact the York1 Dresden project was specifically named in Bill 5.
"Communities need to be confident that existing landfills (like Dresden's)" cannot be re-opened," he said.
Members of Dresden C.A.R.E.D. said they want Ford to come to Dresden to see what a bad idea the Dresden project is.
""We need to get him down here so we can show him how dumb this idea is," group member Rob Simpson told Schreiner.
In response to a comment from the crowd that Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault was put in a tough position over Bill 5, Schreiner said Pinsonneault had the opportunity to leave the Progressive Conservatives and speak out as an independent.
"Steve's more than welcome to come over to our corner of the legislature where you can vote how the people want you to vote," Schreiner explained.
His comment was met with applause. Pinsonneault's absence from the Bill 5 vote and from local meetings regarding the dump have been roundly criticized by the community.
Schreiner joins Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles in the fight against Bill 5. Stiles paid a visit to Dresden two weeks ago to shore up support against the York1 project and launch the province-wide Kill Bill 5 initiative.
Schreiner was also on hand on the morning of July 13 to offer words of encouragement for those who took part in a symbolic relay paddle. Led by members of the First Nations community, participants paddled to carry sacred water along the Sydenham River from Dresden to Wallaceburg, a stretch of the river that could be severely impacted if the dump becomes a reality.
A sacred fire, also burned at a site near Molly's Creek for four days as part of a peaceful protest to bring awareness to Dresden's plight and the need for environmental protections.
