Conservative MPP speaks out on Dresden landfill — and premier trying to fast-track it

Steve Pinsonneault says he's been silent for too long about his government's stance regarding a proposed landfill in the southwestern Ontario community of Dresden.

The Lambton-Kent-Middlesex Conservative MPP, who was recently re-elected, says he doesn't support the rural dump. He also serves as parliamentary assistant to both the minister of emergency preparedness and response as well as the minister of rural affairs.

In April, his government introduced Bill 5 — the Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act. It includes language that would fast-track the project.

There has been community pushback about the landfill for the past several months.

Pinsonneault recently took to social media to say he doesn't support the project or the proposed legislation.

"People are angry and quite frankly, so am I," said Pinsonneault, who pledged during his campaign that he'd get an environmental assessment in place.

"As you can understand, I'm very frustrated. I deeply care for the people of Dresden. I went to school there, my kids went to school there and I do believe that the residents of Dresden need to know where the representative stands on this matter." 

After receiving what he referred to as "thousands" of emails and "hundreds" of phone calls about the landfill, Pinsonneault says he's personally spoken with Premier Doug Ford and the ministers involved.

"I've told him of the concerns of this landfill and I told them how I'm opposed to it," he said in the social media video.

According to Pinsonneault — who's also a former longtime Chatham-Kent councillor — the site will still be subject to a "strict environmental compliance process" despite having the environmental assessment removed if the bill becomes law. The province has also stated continued oversight would also be "strong," in a statement to CBC News.

"I can assure I will make sure every process [is] followed to the letter of the law," he said. 

While saying it's "not a nice position" that the community has been put in, Pinsonneault also stated there's only so much he can do.

"The reality is I'm one of 80 votes and no matter how I vote it's not going to change the outcome."

He says he's never met or heard of the landfill's owners.

Pinsonneault says he's been beaten up "pretty bad" on social media over the past few weeks and due to his silence he says that's "fair."

"But when my integrity comes into question I feel it's time to speak out."

Kingston MPP Ted Hsu recently asked Ontario's integrity commissioner to probe an alleged connection between Premier Ford's government and the Chatham-Kent landfill.

'Too little too late,' local councillor says

Rhonda Jubenville, a Chatham-Kent municipal councillor, says Pinsonneault's public opposition to the landfill comes "too little too late, because he's basically saying he can't do anything."

But voting against the legislation would "show solidarity" with the local community, she said.

"What he says is true. His one vote won't make a difference," she said. "But it will stand to show that he's standing up for the people that elected him."

Not a 'traditional landfill', company says

In a statement Wednesday, York1 — the company that owns the property — said the proposal is not for "a traditional landfill."

Instead, "it will be a regenerative recycling facility for non-hazardous construction and demolition materials," the firm said. "It is not a landfill for municipal waste that people normally think of when they consider these types of sites."

The company also said that "the project will still undergo all the environmental approvals that a project like this should go through."

Ford says garbage capacity, Trump behind landfill expansion

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province wants to expand the dump site because of U.S.-Canada tensions and garbage capacity in the province.

"We're relying on the U.S. again," Ford said to reporters earlier this month, stating 40 per cent of all Ontario trash goes to the U.S.

"It takes one phone call from President Trump to … cut us off, and then what do we do? We have to prepare."

CBC News has reached out to Pinsonneault for additional comment, as well as the province.