WHEREAS municipal government in Ontario do not have the right to approve landfill projects in their communities, but have authority for making decisions on all other types of development;
AND WHEREAS this out-dated policy allows private landfill operators to consult with local residents and municipal Councils, but essentially ignore them;
AND WHEREAS municipalities already have exclusive rights for approving casinos and nuclear waste facilities within their communities, and further that the province has recognized the value of municipal approval for the siting of power generation facilities;
AND WHEREAS the recent report from Ontario's Environment Commissioner has found that Ontario has a garbage problem, particularly from Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) waste generated within the City of Toronto, where diversion rates are as low as 15%;
AND WHEREAS municipalities across Ontario are quietly being identified and targeted as potential landfill sites;
AND WHEREAS municipalities should be considered experts in waste management, as they are responsible for this within their own communities, and often have decades' worth of in-house expertise in managing waste, recycling, and diversion programs;
AND WHEREAS municipalities should have the right to approve or reject these projects, and assess whether the potential economic benefits are of sufficient value to offset any negative impacts and environmental concerns;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Township of North Huron supports Bill 16, Respecting Municipal Authority Over Landfilling Sites Act introduced by MPP Ernie Hardeman and calls upon the Government of Ontario, and all political parties, to formally grant municipalities the authority to approve landfill projects in or adjacent to their communities;
AND FURTHER THAT the Township of North Huron send a copy of this resolution to MPP Ernie Hardeman.