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Subjects: AVO, CPG, CMG

Municipalities to be provided with greater say in where landfills can be located


Ingersoll-led initiative gains traction as 70-municipality coalition convinces Province to act

INGERSOLL, ON, Nov. 30, 2018 /CNW/ - Contained in the many details of the Province of Ontario's November 29 release of its Made-In-Ontario Environment Plan was a statement of support for the Ingersoll-driven, province-wide initiative of municipalities to provide local governments with the right to approve new landfill sites. Members of the Demand the Right Coalition, led by Ingersoll Mayor Ted Comiskey, are celebrating the Province's announcement in the Plan which states "Municipalities will be given greater say over where landfills can be located"

70 Ontario municipalities are members of the Demand the Right Coalition (CNW Group/The Town of Ingersoll)

The Council of the Town of Ingersoll launched the initiative in the fall of 2017. Mayor Comiskey and council members made presentations to city councils and municipal organizations across the province. They encouraged their follow councils to pass motions in support of approval rights for municipalities. To date, 70 municipalities have joined to coalition and passed motions demanding that the Government of Ontario act to pass legislation.

"This is an important milestone in the process of giving local approval rights for the proposed Southwest Ontario Landfill," said Mayor Ted Comiskey. "Just as important, however, is that once legislation is introduced and passed, all municipalities in Ontario will finally be able to deal with private sector waste operators as equals."

As Ontario law stands today, if a private waste contractor wants to develop and operate a new landfill site in any municipality, anywhere in Ontario, almost all they need is the approval of the Province and its environmental assessment approval process. The influence of municipal governments and their affected communities is very limited.

The Town of Ingersoll and its fellow members of Demand the Right Coalition expect the Province to begin a consultation process to determine the details of the landfill approval legislation. The Coalition will be urging its members to participate. It is also encouraging other municipalities to join and add their voices to the plan. Member municipalities include all Oxford County communities, the cities of Hamilton, Kingston, and Ottawa, and the regions of Peel and Waterloo.

Comiskey said, "We look forward to working with the Minister of the Environment and our fellow municipalities to ensure that municipal approval rights for landfill sites are fully realized in provincial legislation. This must happen quickly."

Further details about the coalition and a full list of its members are available at www.demandtheright.ca

SOURCE The Town of Ingersoll



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