Ian Munro has written to the editors of our local newspapers, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the rejection of Waste Management’s proposed expansion, of the Richmond Landfill, by Ontario’s Minister of the Environment. The text of his letter follows:

To the Editor
Ten years of prosperity
Unbelievably, it has now been exactly ten years since the Minister of the Environment soundly rejected the plan to massively expand the Richmond landfill in Greater Napanee. The reasons for that rejection were many but boiled down to the unacceptable risks to the local environment, including the groundwater and surface waters surrounding the site as well as the threats posed to human health. Our communities should be proud that this was only the second time in Ontario history that an environmental assessment had been formally rejected in this manner – a tremendous accomplishment.
On the other hand, and equally unbelievably, the community remains at risk. First, the actions required to close and properly monitor the existing landfill still have not been fully implemented and it seems we remain years away from completing that critical task. Second, the site’s owner continues to desperately cling to a plan to establish a new landfill on the same site which had been rejected ten years ago for technical reasons. How can this be the case after all we now know about the unsuitability of this location for hosting a mega-landfill?
Greater Napanee has prospered over the past ten years. I (and many others) feel this is not a coincidence. The fact that this community is thriving without this landfill certainly proves it is not needed for economic growth. Given that we already know the environmental and health risks are unacceptable, we must continue the effort to ensure the threat of a new landfill is removed forever.

Ian Munro
Chair, Concerned Citizens

Tags: Beechwood Road Environmental Centre, Concerned Citizens, Dump, Environment, Greater Napanee, Leaking landfill, Richmond Landfill, Waste Management, Waste Management Corporation,  Town of Greater Napanee