For
immediate release:
November 25, 2004
Barrett
calls on Minister to order a hearing on Edwards Landfill
Queen’s Park
- Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant MPP Toby Barrett pushed Minister of Environment
Leona Dombrowsky to use her powers under the Environmental Protection
Act and require a hearing into the Edwards Landfill expansion proposal.
Barrett stood in the
Legislature to question the Minister’s inaction on the Edwards front:
“Given that
this C of A [certificate of approval] application calls for a 5,000% increase
in the daily fill rate and changes the allowable waste to now include
residential, commercial, institutional and industrial waste, and given
that under Section 30 of the Environmental Protection Act, the director
is compelled to conduct a hearing before issuing a C of A in these kinds
of situations, it appears you have no choice but to require a hearing
before the Environmental Review Tribunal,” said Barrett. “Minister,
can you tell the people of Haldimand county when the hearing will be held?”
The Minister
responded:
“There has been
a public open house; it was held in June - there has been information
in the local paper,” the Minister said. “Our government believes
there are processes in place that ensure the concerns of the public have
a venue to be heard.”
Barrett then called
on the Minister to exercise her discretion under Section 32 of the Act:
“Minister…If
you feel the director is not compelled to conduct this hearing under section
30, it still would be a factor in favour of exercising your ministerial
discretion under Section 32,” Barrett retorted. “Minister,
there is a significant change in the nature and the daily volume of allowable
waste -- as you know, from letters coming in -- at Edwards landfill. Surely
this is enough to convince a government minister to exercise her discretion
under section 32 and order a public hearing. Again, when could a hearing
be held?”
Minister Dombrowsky
replied by passing the buck:
“I think it's
important that I clarify for the honourable member and the members of
this House that the director has a responsibility to make a determination.
If, within the community, people object to the decision the director makes,
they can appeal that to the Environmental Review Tribunal,” the
Minister replied. “It's totally inappropriate for me to interject
myself into the process prematurely and I have no intention of doing that.”
The Ministry is currently
reviewing the request, which would expand allowable tonnage into the Site
to 500 tonnes per day.
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For more information
please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: 519-428-0446, 416-325-8404 or 1-800-903-8629
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